Schneider Electric deployed its full range of skills and competencies to offer Marovato’s 120 residents access to energy that is safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green. To carry out this project, the Group forged an innovative partnership with businesses, associations and residents within the Jirano association, whose mission is to set up a sustainable electricity supply system for isolated villages in Madagascar.
An dedicated energy access solution
Schneider Electric and its partners developed a dedicated solution tailored to the nature and size of this project. The solution’s components ensure that the system operates smoothly, at top efficiency, and protect the solar installation.
The Group provided a Xantrex by Schneider Electric photovoltaic inverter and charger, circuit breakers, and remote supervision and monitoring of the electrical enclosure via the GSM network. The facility generates peak power of 1,400 watts. In comparison, the village currently uses 490 watts.
Schneider Electric and the Jirano association also developed a program to teach residents how to maintain the facility. In all, 12 jobs in electricity-related fields were created. In 2009, projects supported by Schneider Electric in Madagascar are expected to electrify 1,000 households, train 100 people and create 50 additional jobs.
In a country with a limited power grid where only 20% of the population has access to electricity, off-grid clean energy solutions are a simple and efficient way to meet the development needs of disadvantaged communities. By helping these communities tap into renewable energies, Schneider Electric is reaffirming its socially responsible commitment to helping improve quality of life for people at the bottom of the pyramid and facilitating access to healthcare and education.
“The key success factor in this project lies in a new type of cooperation in which businesses and village associations work together towards a common goal. We intend to pursue this initiative in the new economies that are the target of our BipBop energy access program,” says Gilles Vermot Desroches, Senior Vice President, Sustainable Development, Schneider Electric.
In Madagascar, two new projects are currently being studied with private and public partners.
