GivePower, Mombasa County, and ServiceNow announced the grand opening of a new Solar Water Farm in Mshomoroni, Kenya last week. This new project will produce up to 75,000 liters of clean drinking water for the surrounding community, which is experiencing its worst drought in decades, powered by solar. The system is the fourth constructed in Mombasa County by GivePower.
Each Solar Water Farm utilizes solar energy to desalinate either sea or brackish water sources. In addition to removing salt, virus, and bacteria, the systems also eliminate other contaminants, including fluoride, to create reliable, affordable sources of clean drinking water for communities in need. The systems are designed to remain operational and produce clean water for more than 100,000 people for over 20 years.
“I promised the people of Mombasa that I would work to find innovative solutions to address the shortfall we experience in supplying fresh potable water to our communities,” said Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir. “The first initiative is the piloting of smart water metering to address the problem of non-revenue water which is water not billed and lost. The second is working with stakeholders such as GivePower to drive desalination initiatives at the local level. We are thankful for the donor, ServiceNow, who made this project possible.”
ServiceNow, a leading digital workflow company that automates processes across the enterprise to increase productivity and enable seamless work experiences, provided the funding needed to construct the project as part of its three-year, $3 million commitment to GivePower. Together, ServiceNow and GivePower seek to eliminate the inequities resulting from climate change through long-term mitigation and adaptation strategies.
“ServiceNow has been long committed to driving decarbonization efforts by investing in sustainable infrastructure – both at ServiceNow and around the world,” said Lyndsay Harris-Kyei, senior director of ESG social strategy at ServiceNow. “In GivePower, we see a partner that is deeply aligned to our purpose of making the world work better for people, harnessing best-in-class innovative clean technology to create transformative impact for those who need it most.”
Access to clean water is considered one of the largest challenges facing the world today. More than 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children, live in areas of high or extremely high-water vulnerability. This leads to a wide array of issues, from disease and starvation to income inequality, particularly for women and girls who are often tasked with fetching water. GivePower’s Solar Water Farms are cutting-edge technological solutions aimed at reversing this problem.
“Securing access to safe, reliable, and affordable water remains one of the most important and challenging problems humanity faces today. We are tremendously grateful to Governor Nassir and ServiceNow for their partnership in making this project possible,” said Michele Magee, President of GivePower. “Together, we are making an impact for those who need our help the most.”
GivePower builds, installs, and operates Solar Water Farms capable of producing 10,000-75,000 liters of water per day. The operations are fully independent of any local electrical grid and run entirely on clean energy. GivePower’s model has won multiple international awards, including the prestigious Energy Globe Award in Kenya.