Although Senegal has great solar potential, in 2016 only 56.5% of the population had access to electricity. With financial support from the FFEM, Sunna Design has installed community solar-powered lighting systems that combine public lighting with domestic electricity: NANOGRIDs.
Context
It is estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa, 620 million out of 800 million inhabitants had no access to electricity in 2017. The energy gap is a massive brake both on development, and on the fight against inequality in the region. Sunna Design has developed a photovoltaic solution that brings light to entire villages. The company finances and operates a fleet of community solar-powered lighting systems providing basic energy services which combine public lighting with a domestic electricity solution.
The FFEM supports the deployment of the NANOGRID system in Senegal through the Private Sector Climate Innovation Facility. The objective of the project is to demonstrate the technical and commercial relevance of the NANOGRID, and do so in a real-world situation so that it can evolve. Longer-term it could be deployed at larger scale in off-grid regions of Senegal.
Description
The project will be rolled out in five phases:
- Identification of the recipient villages and arranging contracts with the customers in about ten priority villages chosen after consultation with the local authorities.
- Production and installation of the solution and full familiarisation of customers with the offer, payment methods and the system’s operating principles.
- Operation of the solution by a local reseller network.
- Servicing and maintenance of the equipment at no additional cost to users.
- Monitoring and analysis of client needs through satisfaction surveys, to fine-tune the offer’s technical and commercial details.
Impacts
- Diversification of the energy mix in Casamance.
- Reduction of household energy bills by 15 to 20%, and improvement of the ecological footprint.
- Reduction of health risks related to the use of polluting light sources.
- Facilitating domestic, commercial and artisan activities.
Exemplary and innovative characteristic
This project delivers an innovative offer for energy access based on the technological performance of the NANOGRID system, which also has exceptional operational life well-suited to local environmental constraints. The offer is based on the Pay As You Go financial model. The technology developed also has a low environmental impact thanks to the use of downlighting LED bulbs. It is expected that long-term this technology will evolve to respond to the wishes of the rural populations in emerging countries, developing both access to the digital revolution, and domestic comfort and convenience.
01/03/2017
Project start date
31/05/2021
Project end date
01/03/2017
Project grant date
4 years
Casamance
Financing Tool
1 500 000
EUR
500 000
EUR
In progress
Sunna Design
French Ministry of Economy and Finance
BPI France
ERDF
Aquitaine region