Haiti Plans Two Large Solar Deployments
Dec 24, 2019
Haiti plans to deploy two large-scale solar + energy storage projects to reduce diesel consumption and electricity prices
According to foreign media reports, with the help of the Inter-American Development Bank and the United States Agency for International Development, Haiti, the northern island country of the Caribbean, plans to deploy two large-scale solar energy + energy storage projects, and the country is seeking technical assistance on project bidding.
The Inter-American Development Bank has issued a tender requesting consulting firms to help Haiti determine bidding procedures for two large solar power and energy storage projects.
With the support of the United States Agency for International Development, the Haitian government plans to deploy two solar + energy storage projects at the Karakol Industrial Park (PIC) garment factory in the northeast of the country.
According to industry media Inter-American, the industrial park is now powered by a 10MW heavy oil and diesel power generation facility, with the highest consumption during working hours (7 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday). . A spokesman for the Inter-American Development Bank said: "The energy costs paid by users depend primarily on the cost of imported fuels and administrative burdens, which poses new challenges to the sustainability of the Caracol Industrial Park (PIC), especially as fuel prices rise in the case of."
Reducing electricity in fossil fuel power generation facilities
The two solar power generation facilities in the plan have installed capacity of 8MW and 4MW, respectively, which will reduce some of the demand for existing fossil fuel power plants and provide backup power for industrial park customers and other energy users.
The 8MW solar power generation facility will be connected to the industrial park's power grid and its clean energy will be given priority.
The Inter-American Development Bank and the Haitian government are committed to providing industrial consumers with electricity prices of approximately $ 0.16 / kWh to make the Caracol Industrial Park (PIC) attractive to tenant companies and potential investors in Haiti.
Deployment of energy storage systems
A planned 4MW solar power facility will be deployed to provide electricity to customers in neighboring communities. Both solar power facilities are managed and operated by an independent operator and sell electricity through a power purchase agreement with a utility company.
In the tender documents, the technical details of the energy storage system deployed with the solar power facilities were not disclosed.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency's survey, as of the end of last year, Haiti's installed capacity of solar power facilities was only 3MW. In 2017, the Haitian government waived import tariffs on solar power components and inverters. In recent years, disasters such as floods, hurricanes and earthquakes have caused serious damage to Haiti's infrastructure. Only one third of household users in the country have access to the power grid. In rural areas, this figure is only 5%.
