A Kenyan village in the Eastern region has enjoyed uninterrupted power supply for 12 years due to a unique solar-photovoltaic plant.
Kitonyoni village in Makueni County has benefitted from the plant developed by the University of Southampton which locals have described as a game-changer for the community.
Led by Professor AbuBakr Bahaj, a key figure in the Energy and Climate Change Division at the University of Southampton, the Kitonyoni mini-grid is composed of seamlessly integrated solar panels and battery storage, forming a robust distribution network.
What's particularly striking is the speed at which Professor AbuBakr Bahaj and his team at the University of Southampton crafted the model.
In just one week, they designed a system that currently delivers a steady power supply of 13.5kWp to the village.
Kitonyonyi came into the limelight last month when the whole country was plunged into darkness. The village stood tall as the only area in Kenya not to experience a blackout.
“The Kitonyoni villagers were the envy of all Kenya, and people from the surrounding villages rushed into its trading centre during the blackout to charge their mobile phones and appliances,” the Professor touted the success during an interview with Southern Daily Echo.
The plant is maintained by engineers from the Energy for Development (e4D) project, the University of Southampton, the Ministry of Energy Kenya and Kenya Power.
Kitonyoni's self-sustenance has impressed the Kenyan government and plans are underway to replicate this in other parts of the country.
Already, the government has applied for Ksh11 billion in funding from the World Bank to set up over 100 similar plants across the country.
The University of Southampton is also exploring ways in which the technology can be replicated internationally.
According to the institution, this will bring rapid urbanisation in various parts of the world.
“The reliability shown by the system in Kitonyoni during the blackout was a testament to the UK and Kenyan engineers to deliver solutions that can be widely replicated and deployed to provide electrical power to over 600 million people without energy in Africa,” AbuBakar stated.
Kitonyoni is also exploring the possibility of selling its power to nearby villages and towns to generate extra income.
