Village Industrial Power

RENEWABLE OFF-GRID POWER FOR AGRICULTURAL PROCESSING

This project will install 10 steam-powered plants that recycle water and transform agricultural waste into energy for on-farm processing. These flexible and innovative green energy platforms produce three phase power and heat from crop residue biomass. This enables off-grid productive use such as agricultural processing, water pumping and power for village micro-grids. The units will incorporate ancillary equipment that demonstrates the full utility of the platforms, particularly focusing on different fruit and vegetable drying technologies as anchor applications. EEP Africa financing will address the key barrier of access to asset financing and support market development for this new technology.

Outcome and Impact

The project will install VIP 10-40 units (10 kW of electricity and 40 kW of thermal energy) in 10 locations. Each unit can serve 30-300 farming households or agribusinesses depending upon the application. The agricultural processing made possible by the units will reduce post-harvest loss, improve food security, increase income earning opportunities, and enable year-round processing. The project is expected to generate up to EUR 800,000 in savings on energy-related expenditure and reduce 88 tonnes of CO2e emissions by generating clean energy from crop residues that would otherwise be burned or dumped in waterways.