Schneider Electric – back on the access to energy solutions presented at Dakar’s Renewable Energies tradeshow and Lighting Africa forum
DAKAR, Sénégal, November 15, 2012/ — The International Renewable Energies Tradeshow (7th to 10th of Novembre 2012) and the Lighting Africa forum (13th to 15th of Novembre 2012) gave the opportunity to Schneider Electric (http://www.schneider-electric.com) to reflect on the original approach and the achievements of its access to energy «BipBop*» program.
A participation focused on the access to energy
For the 5th consecutive year, the International Renewable Energies tradeshow brought the African private and public stakeholders of energy management together. At Lighting Africa, over 1,000 people including many industrialists have been meeting every year since 2007 around the access to energy challenge. Schneider Electric, global specialist in energy management, made this year a specific focus on its BipBop* program. Effective since 2008 in Africa, this program aims at bringing a sustainable energy in remote areas while accompanying the emergence of an electrical sector.
The energy challenge in Africa
In Africa, over 600 million people live whithout access to energy, which represents 70% of the population (without South Africa and Egypt). In rural areas, the average access to energy rate is below 3%. But it is often difficult and too expensive to connect a remote village, several dozen miles away, to the national electrical grid. Solutions may then be found in «off-grid» installations, which are autonomous local powering stations based on renewable energies (solar, hydraulic or wind power).
Low power, but power everywhere
One of the main aspects of Schneider Electric’s BipBop program consists in electrification of rural villages in Africa through micro solar-power stations of 2 to 4 kW . Regarding lighting, Schneider Electric provides a low consumption lamp using LED technololgy, called In-Diya, capable of lighting a 144 ft² room with only 5 W. Presented for the first time in Africa, Water of the Sun, the new micro water-pumping stations, also powered by solar energy, allows filling of a water tank during the day, depending on solar intensity.
From Marovato to Dar Salam
Since 2008, when the first African BipBop project was implemented in Marovato (a 21-houses village in Madagascar), many projects were delivered accross the continent.
Back in November 2011, in Asore, Nigeria, 87 houses benefited from access to energy solutions.
More recently, in May 2012, the 3 Senegalese villages of Dar Salam, Thiasky and Kak were equiped with a Villasol micro power station as part of the national project of electrifying 14,000 villages supervised by ANEV (Association Nationale des Ecovillages du Sénégal) and in partnership with ADEA (Agence de développement des Entreprises en Afrique).
A necessary technological leap
Renewable energies already represent more than 20% of the African energy supply (mainly hydraulic power) which makes it the first power source of the continent.
Today, these renewable technologies are to be accessed by as many people as possible. According to Jean-Marc Darboux, president of Schneider Electric International : « Africa is capable of unrivalled technological leaps. Some African people never had any fixed landline but today owns two mobile phones. In the same way, each new city, each new neighbourhood must benefit from state-of-the-art technologies like Smart Grid. And each rural village must have access to renewable off-grid energy without waiting for classical solutions to be implemented.
*Business, Innovation, People at the Base Of the Pyramid
About Schneider Electric
A global specialist in energy management, with a presence in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric (http://www.schneider-electric.com) offers integrated solutions for a number of market segments. The Group is the market leader in sectors such as Public Administration and Infrastructures, Machine Industries & Manufacturers, both
non-Residential and Residential Buildings, Data centers and Networks. Dedicated to producing safe, reliable, efficient, productive and clean energy, its more than 130,000 employees have realized sales of €22.4 billion in 2011, working alongside individuals and organizations to help them make the most of their energy.
http:// www.schneider-electric.com/bipbop
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