Who are your local partners?
We have partners yet in Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and a Spanish partner Seine Tech who has done the project in Malawi. We are mainly looking for reliable distributors with a good reputation, a serious network and experience with Solar.Y
Your partner Seine Tech realized recently an efficient solar crop irrigation project for more than 600 farmers in Zomba District, Malawi. What were some of the challenges you and your partner have faced?
There are several logistical challenges. To develop a project of this scope many factors and different work teams intervene: from civil works and topography, through construction and electrical and photovoltaic works, plumbing and labour. It's important to remark the project location was like 200kms far from main city, with a very bad road access, in a rural context, where was very hard to find in that area any material or equipment might needed to carry on the project (you cannot forget bolts and nuts, otherwise project can be delayed 1 day or 2!) For this reason, logistically talking, it was challenging to organize teams, mostly because the remote area where the project was located. It's key to work on a realistic work plan schedule having in account the logistical factor.
Moreover there are context challenges: during project handover to the community or to end users, it is important to remark that a training on how to operate solar water pumping system is a must and determinant for the project success. End users, suddenly, have an advanced solar water pumping system, for irrigation and, they have to become familiar with its use and its possibilities. Before having the solar water pumping system, these end users used to farm a small piece of land because the use of manual water catchment techniques (individual farming). Having the solar system, was required that they be organized at the community level, since the system is used by many farmers at the same time.
What do you think are the success factors for a project like this?
A reliable design is crucial. There are many factors to address when designing a solar pump system: location, hydraulics, electricity, photovoltaic, kind of irrigation, seasonal variability, etc… For Seine Tech, a good sizing and design is very important to assure success in a long term. Following point one, another factor is installing good quality product, brands offering performance warranty for their products over the years, like Sharp does.
It is very important to have a local partner to develop the project together. It would be very difficult for us, being a European company, to develop such a project from A to Z by our own, in a rural off-grid context.
Furthermore the project must be established allowing that its cost, or a certain percentage, to be payable by end-users through its use during a certain time-frame, to make it economically sustainable. If is not the cost of the project, at least should be considered a cost handled by end users about the right of operating the system.
The interview was conducted by Hans-Christoph Neidlein
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More useful information
See the Part 1 of the interview
https://www.sharp.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/gb/hs.xsl/-/html/sales-partner.htm
https://www.pveurope.eu/solar-modules/sharp-mono-solar-module-72-cells-launched
