The panels, with a total generation capacity of 8.3kW, are being installed at the Elementary & Senior High School in Brewerville, providing the school with electricity for the first time.
Thanks to the 35kw capacity of the battery storage used, facilities can continue to be used in the evenings, when the school hosts adult education classes. Pupils will now also have the benefit of learning how to use computers and the internet.
Around 600 pupils currently attend the school, founded in 1998 by Liberian Diana E. Davis. An Internet cafe with a copy shop and electricity provision for locals – for charging mobile phones, for instance – will generate the revenues to finance the maintenance and repair of the system.
The whole PV system was planned, delivered, and installed by MaxSolar GmbH, based in Upper Bavaria. A team from MaxSolar was on site in Brewerville to actively lead and oversee the implementation of the project and the switching on of the installation. The project was completed on 7 April 2013, and the system has been generating clean solar electricity since then.
“Thanks to PV technology, the Elementary & Senior High School in Brewerville now has electricity for the first time – that is a decisive step towards a better future,” said Ben Hill, head of Europe at Trina Solar.
“A permanent electricity supply is a fundamental requirement for everyone. We want to contribute to improving quality of life for the people of Africa and the whole world.”