“Productive use of electrical energy” (PUE) has been the buzzword within the African photo voltaic business for the previous two years. The African Photo voltaic Business Affiliation (AFSIA) has ready a catalog of solar-based PUE options for the continent, together with a number of new photo voltaic off-grid and on-grid programs.
PUE has develop into a buzzword within the African photo voltaic business within the final two years, because it permits using electrical energy to empower individuals dwelling in rural areas to extend their revenue. For a decade, rural electrification has centered on offering entry to lighting and fundamental leisure companies via photo voltaic house programs (SHS) and minigrids, that are essential however don’t present financial empowerment.
PUE options come in several kinds, however their principal purpose is to offer the consumer more cash to spend. PUE can result in diminished prices, elevated income, or each. The fishing business is an efficient instance, the place photo voltaic freezers can cut back fish loss and enhance fish high quality, leading to higher costs for fishermen.
PUE options can be utilized in lots of sectors, corresponding to agriculture, business and small industrial actions, public infrastructure, and well being companies. It may also be utilized in quite a lot of conditions, together with off-grid areas, minigrids, and grid-connected areas. At AFSIA, we deal with solar-based PUE options.
Our hottest options embody photo voltaic irrigation and photo voltaic cooling. Photo voltaic irrigation affords a novel enterprise case for the tip consumer, as a result of it permits year-round cultivation, will increase the yield per hectare considerably, and reduces the full value of possession by as much as 90 % in comparison with diesel powered irrigation. Photo voltaic refrigeration, which incorporates fridges, freezers, and chilly rooms, reduces post-harvest losses, will increase bargaining energy for farmers, and is the best associate for photo voltaic irrigation.
AFSIA will unveil the primary “PUE Catalog” in a web-based occasion on Might 4, which goals to determine all obtainable solar-based PUE options, listing the businesses that distribute of those options, and share the main points of the enterprise case for every resolution. This catalog will assist many photo voltaic stakeholders understand the potential of PUE to unlock financial exercise and enhance livelihoods in Africa.
AFSIA will maintain a webinar on PUEs on Might 4, 2023, at 2:00 pm (CET). Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4516820637960/WN_k63FqgQUREuFhydPiZIrlQ
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