Blue Solutions is one of the eleven consortiums to win the call for proposals launched by the OCEF (Off-Grid Clean Energy Facility). This call for proposals forms part of the MCA-Benin II program, which aims to increase the rate of access to electricity for populations in off-grid rural locations.
The project presented by Blue Solutions, within a consortium comprising Générale du Solaire (a French leader in the solar energy sector, specialized in developing and operating solar power plants) and ARESS (a Benin-based energy operator), targets the development and operation of innovative mini-grids fed by a solar solution with storage in 12 villages in the Alibori and Borgou departments for a total capacity of 3.2 MWc of installed power and 3.8 MWh of storage.
Blue Solutions, which has more than 30 renewable energy production facilities operating in Africa, develops batteries and electricity storage solutions based on unique, solid-state technology: the LMP® (Lithium Metal Polymer) battery. This robust technology, which withstands high outside temperatures, is especially suited to the rural electrification market and to climate constraints in Benin.
The cross-expertise of these three partners should enable the development of autonomous, connected and environment-friendly grids that will improve the availability of electricity and access to electricity for public infrastructures, SMEs, communities and households. Ultimately, this should result in more than 65,000 potentially connected beneficiaries, and more than 5,000 tons in CO2 savings.
These grids, which are planned to be operated for 25 years under a concession agreement with the Beninese State, should be operational in the first quarter of 2022.