Haiti will soon flip the switch on the first of 80 microgrids that EarthSpark International hopes to install in a bid to reduce energy poverty in the island nation.
The EKo Pwòp microgrid serves 430 homes and businesses in downtown Les Anglais in the south of Haiti, Microgrid Knowledge reports. It consists of a 93-kilowatt photovoltaic array, 400 kWh of battery storage, and a small diesel backup generator. EarthSpark also worked with Digicel, the country’s biggest telecom company, to tap underutilized capacity from a cell tower generator.
“EarthSpark and the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Forum have set a goal to build 80 microgrids in Haiti by the end of 2020,” Wood writes. EarthSpark says about three-quarter of Haiti’s population has no access to electricity.
