EAP recognizes the impressive potential of electrification to improve health, education, and the economy in rural communities across Sub Saharan Africa. Financial and regulatory market conditions generally advance energy expansion into rural communities through grid extension, mini-grids, and solar home systems. Unfortunately, the high cost of grid extensions is financially prohibitive to developers within low energy consumption communities; and solar home systems alone are unable to eradicate energy poverty. Nonetheless, EAP stays committed to advancing sustainable development in rural communities through small-scale power generation and distribution.
Market trends show major energy players, including financiers, utilities, and regulatory authorities are acknowledging the advantages of off-grid projects to electrify remote areas compared to distributed renewable energy. Power Africa’s ‘Beyond the Grid’ sub-initiative unlocked one billion USD for private sector, off-grid investment and will enable 25-30 million new off-grid connections by 2030. Expertise in on-grid and off-grid project development sets EAP apart as an adept energy developer with a unique value proposition for sustainable development through off-grid projects.
Geographically, EAP has immense potential to electrify villages across Sub Saharan Africa with its first off-grid projects in Rwanda, the homebase of EAP’s corporate headquarters. Rwanda’s target off-grid electrification rate is 48 percent or 1.4 million people by 2024; and only 14 percent of its densely populated rural population has energy access. Alongside strong partners, EAP is pioneering innovative and sustainable off-grid electrification projects in Rwanda and beyond. Productive use of energy to stimulate demand and improve financial feasibility of rural electrification is the foundation for EAP’s off-grid project designs.
In February, EAP completed the installation of a solar mini-grid in Rwanda for Equatorial Power, a pioneer mini-grid developer focused on closing the agro-processing value gap. This project established more than 1,000 connections to households and small local businesses with a generation capacity of 120kWp and 124 kWh of storage capacity in the village of Gakagati. Gakagati’s innovative design integrates the Zola Electric energy platform, Infinity Grid. EAP is pleased to advance “smart solutions” which optimize energy consumption by automating performance monitoring and decision making. The Infinity Grid’s modular design enables scalability to match community demand and improves the bankability for electrifying rural communities by minimizing capital expenditures.
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