Services
1) SOLAR ENERGY
Provision of solar energy for basic lighting and powering of electrical devices
Many solar energy home systems are installed in rural markets with the aim of lighting other stores in the markets. Also some refrigerators, musical sets are powered in some of these markets. Cold fishes are sold and TV set are powered Call boxes businesses are developed. The lesson learned here is that, most bars and off-license have all extended their hours of operation till the following day. This sometimes leads to shortage of energy and in this case the solar systems are reinforced to meet the energy demand.
Solar home systems installation in Bih market at Nkambe North West region
Solar energy for the charging of mobile phones
Many people especially those located far at least 10km and more from the existing grids usually trek for long distances in order to charge their mobile phones. This was the case with the people of NKumbam a small community in the West near Banguran. These villagers usually spent 300 FRS transport cost only to get to the point where there is existing grid and while there, they pay 100 FRS to charge their phones and pay again 300 FRS to return making a total of 700 FRS only to charge one phone. The objective of one of our solar systems to be installed in this community was to save a lot of money that they were spending to charge their mobile phones. This project has existed for two years and one can clearly calculate the amount of income that has been saved by all the households at Nkumbam today.
Solar energy for mobile phone charging at Mbokam North West
Solar energy for electrification of rural social infrastructures
As part of our consultancies, many solar energy home systems have been installed in social infrastructures like hospitals, schools as well as the different community training centers in villages like Nwenchen in South West, Bamzeng in the North West as well as Madiya in the Western regions of Cameroon. These solar systems provide stable electricity for storage of medications in the health centers, basic lighting in the different centers and for other services.
2) HYDROELECTRIC POWER
Micro hydro power
Micro-hydro power is the small-scale harnessing of energy from falling water, such as rivers flowing from High Mountain. Working in a participatory approach with the rural population many of these hydro plants have generated power for homes, hospitals, schools and workshops especially in the South West, North West and western regions of Cameroon. We develop and promote hydropower from 5 to 20kw as well as Pico-Hydro from 2 to 4kw as earlier sighted above.
Community participation during micro hydro realization at Nchingang Wabane
The micro-hydro station, which converts the energy of flowing water into electricity, provides poor communities in rural areas with an affordable, easy to maintain and long-term solution to their energy needs with lots of income generating activities contributing to fight against rural poverty. Solar energy systems are replaced by Pico-Hydro plants where small permanent falling water is possible. This helps to reduce the cost of solar home systems and also offer the possibility to produce energy in a larger quantity from the pico-hydro plants. If well installed and good mechanisms are put in place for operation and maintenance, these systems are also very sustainable.Our pelton turbines are locally fabricated out of local materials and this is one of the reasons while there are easily maintained by the local technicians in the installed communities.
Installation of a 20kw Pelton turbine in Tabot village
3) CONSULTANCY
A) STUDYING AND WRITING OTHER PROJECTS
As part of our consultancy, we plan and carry out feasibility studies and write good community or individual projects ranging from agriculture, solar and micro hydropower projects. After writing and cost estimation of these projects, a complete feasibility study report project document with all the details is produced and handed to the individual, organization or to the council or community as a whole while explaining the whole project concept to them. We also give advises on how to get funding from the different donors either the state or in different countries.
B) REHABILITATING OTHER EXISTING RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS
A good study about why different projects have failed in many rural areas in Cameroon reveals that:
Little or no efforts were put in place for the sustainability of the projects after completion that is, no technicians were adequately trained to manage the projects, projects were badly realized, poor quality materials were used and no regular visits are organized to monitor these projects and give advises to the technicians or project committees were put in place.
After studying many projects many of the problems cited have been elaborated, programs have been proposed leading to the rehabilitation of many micro hydropower plants as well as solar energy projects in the West, South west, Littoral and North western regions of Cameroon.
About 80% of the solar energy systems which are not working in the rural areas of Cameroon have common problems. Some of these problems include the fact that the size of the installation was wrongly calculated, bad solar equipment were bought and the installation was poorly done leading to huge loss of energy or the installation is not even working at all. In 2014, we rehabilitated more than 10 different solar energy systems in different communities which were producing less than 50% energy beyond their installed capacity or which had completely broken down. These systems work well till today.
Who say solar energy is not stable?