- In Zambia, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) wants to support the development of alternatives to reduce the impact of the intermittency associated with clean energy production.
- The system will store electricity generated by a solar photovoltaic plant.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is awarding a grant to GreenCo Power Storage, a Zambian-based company. The funding will support a study for deploying battery-based electricity storage systems. One of the main obstacles to developing renewable energy is the intermittent availability of natural resources such as wind for wind and solar for solar. In Zambia, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) wants to support the development of alternatives to reduce the impact of the intermittency associated with clean energy production.
The funding aims to study the feasibility of deploying large-scale electricity storage systems in Zambia. GreenCo has hired U.S.-based K&M Advisors to conduct the study with USTDA funding as part of its strategy. USTDA said, “The study will also include an economic and financial analysis for the operation of the pilot project and portfolio, as well as a business and market analysis tailored to GreenCo’s business model, among other tasks,”
The pilot project will be implemented in the Sesheke district. The system will store electricity generated by a solar photovoltaic plant. This storage facility will serve as a demonstrator for developing 400 MWh storage capacity throughout Zambia. According to GreenCo, implementing the pilot project is expected to create 600 jobs in the short term and 20 more in a long time. More importantly, the development of battery storage is expected to catalyze renewable energy production and diversify Zambia’s electricity mix.