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 installed 4 units at different sites, one for electricity and hot water and three others for fruit drying (thermal power). Each unit can serve 30-300 farming households or agribusinesses depending upon the application. The agricultural processing made possible by the units reduced post-harvest loss, improved food security, increased income earning opportunities, and enabled year-round processing. The project generated up to EUR 320,000 in savings on energy-related expenditure and reduced 70 tonnes of CO2e emissions by generating clean energy from crop residues that would otherwise be burned or dumped in waterways.