12/07/2020
The goal of this project is to provide electricity and extend the already existing micro grid in the Ukerewe islands through an innovative, commercially viable, and affordable Mini Grid solution.The company will design, construct and scale up the Min Grid to a total generation capacity of up to a total of 3.5MW in a cluster form. These clusters will be ranging from 50kW – 850 kW depending on load demand of each island.
With the extended supply, the company will be able to reach out to more villages and have a wider range of consumers. This will in turn help to improve the lives of islanders and will bring us closer to achieving the energy goal of electrifying rural Tanzania; and will put our work in line with the Tanzanian SE4ALL AA 2030 initiative of providing access to energy, increasing energy efficiency and generating an increase in the use of renewable energy.
The project will establish a micro-grid on each island and will generate power and distribute it to the inhabitants. These islands are currently outside the scope of TANESCO’s reach, and given the location will probably remain off-grid for quite a number of years. This gives Rex Energy a great opportunity to be able to service the energy requirements of the 350,000 strong population.
Rex Energy plans to sensitize the local communities on clean energy, the environmental and cost benefits of using clean mini-grid generated power. All the inhabitants of the island will form the target market for these projects; however, it is anticipated that uptake for connectivity will take place over a period of time, and that it is unlikely that all inhabitants will connect to the mini-grid upon completion of the generation capacity (the project assumes 80-90 per cent connectivity over the life of the project). The project assumes that there will be a large initial uptake, with fast growth rate of forty per cent within the first year, and then the growth slowly dwindling to twenty per cent in the following two years and then ten, and then finally down to three per cent per annum.
The implementation of renewable energy will likely address climate change and improve access to energy in rural areas. At the same time, the countrys’ economy is diversifying and being able to provide electricity to meet those needs is critical. This has added considerable pressure to energy consumption, making the low access rate and other supply limitations an obstacle to economic growth. Implementation of the proposed project will reduce the impact greenhouse gases and uses of firewood, and with the main objective of a transition to low-carbon energy systems as part of a broader government agenda of fostering sustainable development through SE4ALL Action Agenda 2030 initiative launched by the Tanzanian government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2016. The project will increase engagement of women in economic activities and taking care of families as they will no longer use most of their time to fetch firewood.
Furthermore, the future technology that this will introduce will help improve the quality of life for many individuals. There is a big fishing industry that can capitalize on having electricity for long-term storage. Thus, expanding the industry as well as introducing more business. The innovative technology can then branch out to devices to turn the surrounding lake water into a clean source. With water filtration and sanitation systems, there is reliable drinking water and this will reduce the amount of waterborne diseases within the communities. The expansion of business will make space for new technology to become more readily available. The widespread use of ICT introduces the internet to a larger population and would grant the children access to a diversity of education to encourage self-sustainability.
