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Power management company Eaton is providing electrical engineering services and power distribution equipment for the construction of a 5-MW solar microgrid system in Annobon Province, an island off Equatorial Guinea in West Central Africa. The microgrid has battery storage and is designed to supply reliable and predictable power to meet the off-grid community’s energy demand. It will be the largest self-sufficient solar microgrid project in Africa.
The project is a part of Equatorial Guinea’s National Economic Development Plan Horizon 2020, which aims to strengthen Equatorial Guinea’s economy and accelerate its development through the implementation of world-class electrical infrastructure. Eaton was contracted to optimize the electrical power distribution equipment for the project by MAECI Solar, a division of Management and Economics Consulting. MAECI is collaborating with Wise Power Systems International to provide solar design, engineering and custom manufacturing of double glass modules and racking with full microgrid system integration for the Annobon Electrification Project.
William Rawheiser, president of Wise Power Systems International, said, “The Annobon Electrification Project will bring a much needed stable, reliable, and consistent power supply to the island, and enable the development of multiple industries, bringing valuable jobs and significantly raising the standard of living.”
The Annobon Province currently relies on generators for periods of reliable electricity up to five hours per day. Residents spend an average of 15 to 20% of their income on supplemental power. The solar microgrid in development is engineered to eliminate this expense by providing clean, reliable and sustainable solar electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
