Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) has donated more than 100 of its REC Peak Energy Series panels for two off-grid rooftop installations in Tanzania.
Currently, only 14% of the Tanzanian population has access to electricity – a fact that a German school participating in the German Vodafone foundation’s Buddys Program wanted to change through their ‘Climate Change and Energy Production’ project. The school successfully convinced five companies and institutions to contribute money, manpower and products to provide its sister school in Bagamoyo, Tanzania with solar-generated electricity.
“We were impressed from the beginning of the project and it was clear to us that we will support this initiative with our high performance solar panels,” commented Luc Graré, Senior Vice President Solar Sales and Marketing, REC. “The idea behind this project exactly embodies REC’s vision – that every person benefits from electricity directly from the sun – and we wanted to be a part of it.”
As news of the solar project spread, the Lutindi Mental Hospital in Tanzania also asked for a helping hand, and the initiative was extended to supply the hospital with solar panels on its rooftop as well.
The school now benefits from a 4.2kWp system, while the Lutindi Mental Hospital boasts a huge 90-panel strong 21kWp array. The off-grid systems provide the two public buildings with a stable source of carbon-free electricity, independent from the country’s unreliable grid.