The UN agency for migration, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Norwegian company Scatec Solar will power a significant part of its ongoing joint humanitarian operations in Malakal, South Sudan, by early next year, IOM said in a recent statement.
Scatec Solar, together with its partner Kube Energy, will install some 1,900 solar panels that are capable of creating up to 700 kilowatts of power.
'They plan to install the panels around the perimeter of the humanitarian hub by December 2019,' according to the statement.
The panels absorb solar power during the day and store excess energy to power the hub after the sun sets. For operators of the humanitarian hub, the Scatec Solar project will offer an 80% to 90% reduction in diesel fuel consumption.
Frederic Grosse, senior vice president of Scatec Solar on a recent site visit to Malakal, said that one of the challenges in Africa is that 250 gigawatts of diesel-run generators affect the environment, and tend to be inefficient and very costly to run.
'This is why we believe this project can make a difference in South Sudan,' he said.
The Organization also uses solar power to pump and distribute 500,000 liters of water daily to meet the water needs of humanitarian hub residents.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr