Malawi installs the first utility-scale solar battery

Malawi completed the installation of the only utility-scale storage system in southern 'Africa outside South 'Africa and Namibia. The 20-megawatt battery facility is designed to stabilise the 'power supply' in one 'of the least 'electrified' countries.

Over the weekend, officials from the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi switched on the battery as part of the country's efforts to improve its resilience to climate shocks. El Nino is expected to bring higher temperatures that will reduce the flow of the Shire River. This river provides Malawi with most of its hydropower.

The government wants to raise this figure to 70% by 2030. Three years ago, Cyclone Freddy severely damaged the hydropower plants which provide about two-thirds (or 80%) of Malawi's electricity.

Solar power currently provides about 100 MW to Malawi's 580 MW generation capacity.

This project will provide the stable, high-quality electricity that our hospitals require to save lives. The project is about the power our schools and businesses need to flourish, said Energy Minister Jean Mathanga on Friday, at the site near Lilongwe.

Malawi plans to build three additional battery storage facilities with a total capacity of 60MW in two other cities.

Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet funded the first project.

Sinosi Maliyano, ESCOM's Chief Operations Officer, said that the battery system would help?connect 600,00 additional households and reduce blackouts from 4 hours to less than 2 hours.

"I struggle to pay for my children's college fees because my welding shop?cannot sustain us due frequent blackouts," Adrian Masoambeta told.

We hope that they will be serious about these batteries. Tim Cocks, Mark Potter and Tim Cocks edited this article.

(source: Reuters)