Kakuma: Among the many Kakuma refugee camps in northwest Kenya, one area stands out because it is well lit in the dark.
Residents of the three Kakuma refugee camps benefit from the green energy available through the mini-grid made possible by Chinese solar technology.
Wasko Hamisi, who fled the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and arrived at the Kakuma refugee camp in 2010, played a key role in securing access to renewable energy despite the fact that the refugee camp is not connected to the country’s main electricity grid.
Father of two Hamisi was inspired by the region’s year-round sunshine to explore the use of solar panels. At first, he did not have the funds to fulfill his dream of burning the refugee camp, which houses about 288,000 refugees from nine countries including South Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi and the DRC.
His success came as one of the winners of the 2018 grant competition, eligible to receive funding for his green projects.
Okapi Green Energy received approximately $275,000 in funding to finance the construction of a solar power plant in the Hamisi refugee camp.
It hit the ground running after receiving all the necessary approvals from government agencies including the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the National Environmental Management Agency and the Turkana District Administration.
Through Okapi Green Energy, Hamisi purchased solar panels and other equipment from Jinko Solar China to build a 20 kilowatt power plant and begin electrifying the refugee camp in 2021.
“So far, I have 150 households and 50 businesses as my micro-grid customers in Kakuma refugee camp,” Hamisi said.
Due to the great success of the project, it is now in talks with Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd., a non-volatile battery manufacturer in Fujian Province of eastern China, to expand its power generation facility to 2.4 megawatts. a few months later.
One of the beneficiaries of the green energy project is Desantos Teofil Bizigiro, who runs a successful entertainment association in the Kakuma refugee camp.
Rwandan refugees fled their homeland in 1997 and came to Kenya in search of greener pastures.
Bizigiro said that before connecting to the solar plant, he relied on generators that were too expensive and not attractive to his customers.
“The generator produces a lot of smoke and noise which disturbs the comfort of my customers,” Bizigiro said.
Since connecting to the solar grid, the cost of electricity has dropped from 2,000 shillings (about $15.50) to $3.90 a day, but his income has increased, he said.
