- Developing countries would skip the traditional grid altogether and go straight to microgrids.
- Zola announced that it had deployed its INFINITY system to power a new “mini-grid” in two villages in Rwanda.
In 2016, after Tesla launched its battery and solar-powered energy division, Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicted some developing countries would skip the traditional grid altogether and go straight to microgrids. Zola Electric is adopting this approach to close the energy access gap. In the last few years, the company has grown immensely fast. It has deployed battery systems and solar panels that power “over 1.5 million people and more than 300,000 homes and businesses. Recently, Zola has moved to power rural communities off-gird with their new, more robust, powerful system called INIFITY. Zola announced that it had deployed its INFINITY system to power a new “mini-grid” in two villages in Rwanda.
The groundbreaking mini-grid project was installed in the country’s largest and second most-populous district, Gakagati I and II, in Nyagatare, Rwanda. The system deployed in Gakagati has a 120 kW capacity and will deliver clean, affordable, reliable power through ZOLA’s innovative INFINITY technology to over 1,000 homes, businesses, schools and clinics.
The project, completed over ten months, was financed by Facebook, the Shell Foundation, USAID, Endev and supported by NXT Grid. According to Zola, the systems are modular and easy to expand. It expects to double the capacity to 240 kW over time. ZOLA believes that its solar and battery-powered microgrid approach will allow more people access to power at a lower cost and is a scalable approach to closing the energy access gap.