![[Somalia] Electro Power Systems integrate wind energy to existing microgrid to meet growing power demand](wind power.jpg)
[Somalia] Electro Power Systems integrate wind energy to existing microgrid to meet growing power demand
Extension of microgrids in Somalia’s north eastern town of Garowe is currently on-line, Electro Power Systems S.A, technology pioneer in energy storage systems and microgrids, has said.
Composed of three new wind turbines and a new storage system, the extension of the microgrid has been successfully installed and commissioned in less than 30 days.
EPS has been able to integrate the wind energy with no need of any change to the existing microgrid – built by the Group and launched in 2016 – which already included solar and energy storage.
This important result was reached in such short time thanks to the flexibility of EPS’ technology, which enables to provide true “plug & play” solutions for its customers. It has neither been necessary to change the settings of EPS’ unique software for intelligent microgrid management, nor the settings of the innovative Energy Management System (EMS): two different storage technologies – in addition to solar and wind – have been connected and automatically balanced, granting stability to the microgrid and a most effective usage of the renewable energy.
Currently the microgrid counts on a total installed power of 5.9 MW. Thanks to EPS’ technology, renewables and storage provide energy to more than 50,000 inhabitants of Garowe which, considering the area and the over 12,000 connections to the grid, reaches approximately 100,000 people.
The results achieved by the extension of the microgrid beat any expectation: more than 90% of the entire city’s power demand is currently covered exclusively by renewables and storage.
“This new microgrid has been completed in record time complying with the highest quality and safety standards. A unique plant, technologically competitive and enabling a sustainable development of the African region. We have reduced the energy bill for the local population, and are now ready to strengthen our commercial presence in Africa” commented Carlalberto Guglielminotti, CEO of EPS.
The solution provided by EPS, embedded with the HyESSTM technological platform, takes advantage from the energy storage for turning intermittent renewables into stable power supply, and will allow to save 1 million liters of diesel fuel per year, while also reducing CO2 emissions up to 600 tons per year.
It’s important to highlight that the first phase of the project started more than one year ago when NECSOM, the biggest utility in the Horn of Africa, launched the microgrid built by EPS and composed at that time by 1MWp of solar and 1.4MWh of storage combined with the existing diesel generation. Following such first installation, the area has benefited of an increase in the energy consumption and a growth in the energy demand up to 1.7 MW.
With the purpose to meet such demand, NECSOM, in 2016, has chosen EPS for the realization of the second phase of the microgrid, expanding it with 0.75MW of wind energy and 400 KWh of storage combined with 3.1MW of installed generators.
