Our Solar-Power Impact

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The Solartainer is a sustainable and solar-powered logical energy source in Africa. Two different containerized systems are available: the mobile Solartainer Amali and the scalable Solartainer Kani. An intelligent mini-grid system distributes electricity by means of a prepaid cost system and enables data analysis and remote maintenance.

Ramata is a shop keeper who originally lived in a village with no electricity. The customers of her livelihood, her shop, often wanted refrigerated products which she had no way to provide because she could keep nothing cold. They would walk miles to purchase goods from places that did have access to refrigeration. With the electricity provided by the Solartainer, however, she can run a refrigerator to provide not only cold products like ice creams and drinks, but also fish and meat, diversifying her product range and supporting her customer base.

These new opportunities in turn generate more income for her shop, which means that more income is available to the women in the local business association who help her run the shop, who can then invest into new branches of business. This opportunity creates an upward economic spiral in the village benefiting the whole community. 

When asked about the impact her shop provides in her village, she said:

"The shop is the life of the town. If we weren't here, people would have to go all the way to another village just to cook something for their families. We provide the people here with everyday food. I think we are indispensable for the village! As I said before, I am convinced that the shop has a lot of untapped potential. We can enliven the village even more with the power of Africa GreenTec. I'm looking forward to seeing that happen!"

The electrification of N'Diob village is supported by the Renewable Energy Solutions program of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs' Export­initiative Energie, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, by Wilo as well as AGT Help eV. 

This 40-foot container is designed to be easily assembled and disassembled in 96 hours due to its PV roof structure and extendable arms. This allows electrification of entire communities very quickly, initially or temporarily. Through years of experience, it is clear that electrifying a community triggers an economic growth spiral and the demand for electricity can increase within a few years. The 50 kWp Solartainer Amali can also be replaced with a more powerful system, such as the Solartainer Kani. The previously used Solartainer Amali can be transported to the next village that is not yet electrified and can be used there again at any time. This unique selling point saves production effort and resources and thus reduces our CO2 footprint.

The Solartainer Kani is compact for transportation in its size and high performing at the same time. All necessary system components can be stored and transported in the 20-foot container. The individual parts of the innovative plug-in substructure can be stowed in a way that saves space. On site, the solar modules are installed as a ground-mounted system on the substructure next to the container. This solar plant can be easily extended to up to 75 kW nominal power as required. Another advantage is the simple installation of the system, which requires only hand tools (which also fit into the container). The innovative mounting system is designed to maximize land use and achieve the best possible power generation costs. In operation, the container itself houses all electrical components, inverters, battery storage along with inverters, and necessary electrical cabinets and connections. 

In order to make electricity available to the entire village, and to enable accounting for electricity consumption, intelligent mini-grids are set up in each village or expand on existing grid structures. 

Each household has its own connection with a smart meter. These state-of-the-art electricity meters receive and transmit data to measure and control the flow of electricity. In this way, reliable pre-paid payments are provided, and customers only pay for the electricity they have used, in addition to the monthly fee. Depending on the tariff selected, customers have a capped maximum output and a certain amount of kilowatt hours of electricity available to them per month. This enables control of peak loads at the ImpactSite® and a view of real-time power flow and interventions needed if problems arise. The smart meters also allow us to perform intensive data analysis, revealing optimization potential and enabling real-time performance and impact reporting.

More Productivity and Opportunities Through Sustainable Electricity 

Nassou is a business owner who runs a thriving restaurant in Djoliba, Mali. He has his own livestock and a chicken farm, and also runs a small hardware shop where he sells essentials for repairs and construction. He is a true entrepreneur who never tires of new ideas to empower his village.

Nassou uses electricity for his restaurant, which he opened four months ago. Since he started getting electricity, Nassou's restaurant has been full of guests, especially in the evenings:

“It's crazy! My shop has become the most popular meeting place in the village after only four months! But I understand why, it’s because I have something to offer to people. To be able to entertain people, I bought a TV where my guests can watch football matches, for example. I also have my stereo on every night and people love to sit together in the evening with good Afrobeat music and eat and drink together. And it's not too hot in my shop. With the fan I recently bought, my guests at least get a little cooling from the heat outside."

Nassou can keep his shop open longer in the evening; his guests are able to stay later despite the darkness because he now also has light in his restaurant in the evenings. Everyone wants to see the new restaurant and meet its owner for themselves. With the increased income from his restaurant, Nassou can now afford to hire more staff. He has increased his restaurant team to six people, creating jobs in his village.

Nassou's livestock farming is also going well. He has 30 cows, 15 sheep and 750 chickens. Since 2010, Nassou has repeatedly taken part in training courses on livestock breeding and uses the expertise he has gained to raise his animals in the best possible way. Good treatment of his animals is very important to him. Once a day, he goes to visit his animals in the field and makes sure that everything is in order.

He operates an incubator to breed his chickens, which he is able to operate with his own solar panels. Electricity is essential for the incubator, because if the eggs are not given light around the clock, they will not hatch. Besides chickens and eggs, he also sells ground maize. Nassou has a mill with which he processes the coarse maize into flour. There is a high demand for maize flour and he always finds customers who buy it from him by the kilo.

“This is what I am proud of! I am active and want to make a good life for myself and my family through my work. Furthermore, I want to create an impact in my village and give something back to my community. Without electricity, my ideas cannot be implemented, so electricity is the beginning of everything for me. I want to help the village by starting businesses and creating jobs. In entrepreneurship, I experience independence and self-determination myself and that is very important to me – at the moment, I couldn't be better off. 10 years ago I was already in Morocco and wanted to go to Europe. If someone offered me to move to Paris today, I would turn it down – I have everything here!

Nassou has more plans for the future. He wants to buy several freezers for his restaurant to be able to store the chicken meat. He also plans to expand his livestock breeding. He wants a delivery van to be able to sell his products and goods further away, as well. He would like to have electricity that runs around the clock. A possible next step is to innovate storage options and concepts to make constant electrical use possible in new and existing ImpactSites.

A water purification system can also be integrated into the Solartainer. With this enhancement, the Solartainer is able to treat up to 3,000 liters of water per hour from rivers or wells. Through reverse osmosis technology, even salinated water can be treated. This helps us to proactively reduce the risk of disease for entire communities.

The Solartainer can also be optionally equipped with a satellite communication solution, which allows customers Internet access, and provides communication, media and education options via a hotspot.

Koloba's story is impressive. After leaving school in Djoliba, Mali, he enthusiastically began studying architecture and graduated with a bachelor's degree. But he did not find a job. Youth unemployment is a problem in many West African countries. Numerous young and highly motivated students complete their Bachelor's and Master's degrees every year, only to be confronted with the reality that there are simply no jobs for them. That's exactly how Koloba felt, but he didn't let that drag him down for long. 

“I am an optimist. Of course I was disappointed not to be able to work as an architect, but there were other jobs that people needed. There were few hairdressers in Djoliba, so I started cutting hair. Later I saw that there was a great need for internet and technology, so I trained in electrical engineering and IT. My savings from cutting hair then enabled me to buy this shop here. So there is a red thread in my life. In hindsight, it all makes sense."

His family and the community of Djoliba are Koloba's main focus. He wants to empower them and offer them services they don't have yet. He sees the education of young people in particular as an important point of empowerment in the village community, and he wants to be able to offer the children and young people the chance of a self-determined life with agency. He is also in contact with the local school in order to offer computer courses to the local children:

“The Internet is the future. It makes it possible to connect with all kinds of people around the globe. It is important to see how other people live and work. That's why people here need to learn how to use computers, how to use the Internet. I am convinced that this can have a big impact in Djoliba."

Koloba is supported by his apprentice and his little brother in his Internet café. His brother used to sell clothes at the market, but Koloba persuaded him to join his business and become his trainee. The demand for Koloba's services in Djoliba is high. People come to his Internet café to print, copy or scan documents and photos. Koloba also transfers music to different devices. That means people can come to him with their laptops and easily transfer their music to their mobile phones or iPods. Koloba has struck a chord with the younger generation, who regularly visit him for this service.

Koloba says of his impact in the village:

“This is what I live for. If I can make my contribution to a happy community, I am happy. I have three children myself and I want them to have the same opportunities as children in the city, for example. There is still a lot to do in Djoliba, but my Internet cafe is a good start to begin with."

Koloba has been using electricity from Africa GreenTec for two years now. Before, his computers sometimes broke down due to constant power cuts, and customers could never be sure whether they would be able to print something or not. Today, Koloba's power supply is reliable. For the future, Koloba would like to have more credit facilities. His printer is broken and he can't find spare parts or a new printer of equal quality. He would have to travel to the capital and make inquiries there. These financial costs could in future be covered by microcredits. The system of microcredits for entrepreneurs in rural areas would be a sensible solution for Koloba and the community.

Farmers are the foundation of the African economy. Rural communities are strengthened by implementing containerized cooling systems. With the Cooltainer, food spoilage is minimized, and new opportunities for food distribution become available. This technology was developed in Germany and is produced locally in Africa.

The solar powered Watertainer is a containerized water treatment system for all common water sources. Drinking water is made available through ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis technology. The risk of disease for entire communities is reduced as a result.

African farmers are also supported with solar-powered, innovative and highly efficient borehole pumps. On-site consulting is provided to ensure that every customer receives the best system for their needs.