02.03.2015
As part of the Horizon 2020 National Development Plan, a project to bring renewable energy to Annobon—the most remote island in Equatorial Guinea—has recently been finalised. The completion of this project will see the installation of 20,000 solar panels in four arrays which will supply electricity to the entire island.
“I’m building one of the world’s largest off-the-grid solar systems and bringing one of the world’s smallest inhabited islands into the 21st century,” said Bill Rawheiser, owner of Sun-in-One and Wise Power Systems, the American companies that manage and develop the project in Equatorial Guinea.
“Because the island is so remote, it costs quite a bit to get the refined diesel fuel there to run the generators,” Rawheiser said. “That’s why this project makes sense. Right now, it costs them 30 to 35 cents to produce a kilowatt-hour with diesel, but it’s only about 20 to 25 cents with solar and battery storage.”
The electricity produced by the solar panels will be stored in six-megawatt batteries, backed up by generators to respond to emergencies and peak loads.