Madagascar just saw the commissioning of 44 mobile solar units in the south of Madagascar. Groupe Filatex, one of the leading renewable energy and real estate players in Madagascar, in collaboration with the independent global renewable energy power producer and developer, Akuo, announced the launch of its fully operational Solar GEM®ï¸ mobile and portable solar units in the port city of Tulear in Madagascar, the first of its kind in the country.
The project is being delivered by Akuo and Groupe Filatex’s energy division, “Enelec”, and will complement the Malagasy government’s ambitious plans to extend energy access to 70% of the population by 2030 and encourage the development of innovative high-tech renewable energysolutions. This project has received long-term funding from the non-profit organization Atmosfair, which aims to contribute to the development of renewable energy worldwide.
Having tested the solution over 100 times, Enelec and Akuo have today commissioned the state-of the-art units for a total investment of 6 million Euros. The plant is made of 44 Solar GEM®ï¸, a containerized “plug and play” solution comprising 200 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels each, with a total capacity of 2.9MWp.
The pre-assembled and pre-wired units can be deployed in just 30 minutes and folded away in 45 minutes, and can, therefore, be relocated between spells of harsh weather conditions, providing protective solutions in territories with unstable environments.
In Madagascar, only 15% of the population has access to electricity, which, according to the World Bank, is one of the lowest rates in the world.
Hasnaine Yavarhoussen, CEO of Groupe Filatex, said: “At Groupe Filatex one of our principal goals is to transition from fossil energy production to renewable energy in Madagascar, and across in Africa, and to develop innovative ways of increasing energy access to rural communities.
The world has suffered from the effects of the global pandemic this year, and no country more so than Madagascar due to its poor rate of reliable energy access, which is vital for the healthcare sector. Our innovative solar units are helping us to close the energy gap with a portable, mobile, and green solution. Our pilot project will add 2.9MW of energy to the nation energy grid and, if all goes well, we plan to roll our further such units in the months to come.”
Eric Scotto, President and co-founder of Akuo said: "This project lies at the heart of Akuo’s core values. With solar electricity, we are enabling Tulear to make its energy production greener and support its population to access a basic need, whilst respecting the environment. Moreover, we are embarking upon an industrialization phase with our hybrid energy solutions. It is a source of great pride for Akuo to announce the launch of this project."
Before the end of 2020, Enelec will have completed the construction of solar energy plants at four sites across Madagascar totaling 50MW. By 2022, Enelec will have completed an additional 280 MW of renewable energy projects: 170 MW in Madagascar and 110 MW in Africa and Europe, including Guinea, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Albania. The company intends to triple its renewable energy output by 2022 and become a fully renewable energy producer in the next decade.
On top of its ambitions in the energy sector, Groupe Filatex aims to continue investing in special economic industrial free zones in Madagascar, of which the company is a sector leader.