Kenya to Repurpose Lithium Batteries for Solar PV Installation

  • The Lithium battery project will improve the lives of up to 160,000 Kenyans in rural areas by enabling reliable, clean sources of electricity.
  • The initiative, with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), will see Kenya address the issue of battery e-waste.

Kenya has partnered with a global non-profit to repurpose second-life lithium batteries to rehabilitate solar PV installations at schools, healthcare centres and hospitals. The government expects the project to improve the lives of up to 160,000 rural Kenyans by enabling reliable, clean sources of electricity.

The initiative, with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), will see Kenya address the issue of battery e-waste. Together with the IEC Global Impact Fund (IEC-GIF), the initiative aims to transform battery e-waste into electronic resources.

This initiative will run over the next two years. Its emphasis will be on promoting environmental innovation led by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and the Kenya National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission are stakeholders in the project.

The IEC is a global, not-for-profit membership organisation that brings together 174 countries and coordinates the work of 30,000 experts globally. It facilitates electricity access and verifies the safety, performance and interoperability of electric and electronic devices and systems.

Differ Community Power (DCP), an international provider of solar energy services to communities has been selected to determine the feasibility of using second-life lithium batteries.

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