ECREEE PV system promotes era of green energy in Cape Verde

The first private grid-connected renewable energy household system has been commissioned under the new renewable energy law of Cape Verde. Since November 2011 a PV solar system with an installed capacity of 9,9 kW is serving major parts of the electricity demand of the ECREEE office.

During the next weeks the system will be also connected to the national grid and ECREEE will become an auto-producer. The Centre will sell parts of the electricity to the national utility ELECTRA. The amount of exported electricity will be deducted from the electricity bills of ECREEE on a monthly bases. This incentive mechanism is called NET-METERING. Cape Verde is the first ECOWAS country which implements such a measure. ECREEE will use the example to replicate such measures and mechanisms in other ECOWAS member states.

The ECREEE PV system demonstrates the social, economic and environmental benefits of green energy:

• The project will generate considerable energy savings over its expected life-time of 25 years. ECREEE will buy less electricity from the grid and will sell remaining "waste" electricity to the grid. Since the electricity tariffs in Cape Verde are very high (exceeding 25 EUR/cents per kwh) the investment becomes a viable option.
• From now on ECREEE will not only save money but will also become self-sufficient in case of power cuts. The system includes also a battery bank back-up to ensure energy security for the office during power cuts and at times when the energy produced by the PV system is not sufficient. It substitutes the expensive stand-by diesel generator usually used during power cuts.
• Moreover, the system reduces GHG emission and local pollution through the substitution of electricity usually generated by diesel of heavy fuel in Cape Verde.

The system was installed by an experienced Spanish company, PROSOLIA; established in West Africa. PROSOLIA Africa, with headquarters in Senegal and branch offices in Guinea Bissau and Burkina Faso, carried out the engineering design and complete installation of the PV system. The works were undertaken by local employees from the ECOWAS region. ECREEE will use the PV system as a demonstration project for its knowledge management and awareness raising activities. Visitors will be introduced to the functioning and benefits of the system. It will be inaugurated during a major conference which will take place in Praia in April 2012.

The Inauguration of the PV system is schedule to take place on the 12th of April 2012, at the ECREEE headquarter in Praia, Cape Verde. The inaugural ceremony will feature Dr. Humberto Brito, Minister of Industry of Cape Verde, Mr. Ebrima Njie, Commissioner for Infrastructure, ECOWAS Commission and other high level officials.

Back to back with the inauguration, is the Launching of the project "Promoting Market Based Development of Small to Medium Scale Renewable Energy Systems in Cape Verde", which is aimed at boosting sustainable development and reduction of global GHG emissions, by creating enabling market conditions for the deployment of small to medium scale renewable energy systems.