First Hybrid Solar, Hydro Power Plant Launched in Kirinyaga

Residents of Baricho in Kirinyaga County will have an uninterrupted electricity supply following the unveiling of a new hybrid solar and hydropower facility.

The Renewable Energy Africa, a renewable energy investment meeting coordinated by AFSIA and SolarPower Europe, as well as Hydrobox and SolarNow, announced the opening of the Gitwamba power plant.

Due to the river’s varying flow rate throughout the dry and wet seasons, the facility was built as a hybrid hydro and solar power plant.

Customers in Kirinyaga County have a consistent base load day and night owing to the hydro plant, which delivers additional capacity during the rainy season while the solar system offers additional power during the dry season.

The Gitwamba hydroelectric facility can generate 170 kW of power.

At a design flow of 0.65 m3/s, the hydropower component has an installed capacity of 50 kW.

The solar component, on the other hand, has an installed capacity of 150 kWp and a capacity of 120 kVA (120 kW).

Hydrobox specializes in the development of small run-of-river hydropower projects that deliver reliable, environmentally friendly electricity to communities and businesses.

These power plants are installed in places with limited or no access to energy, and they serve an ecosystem of anchor customers (big farms and factories), small enterprises (schools, hospitals, shops, restaurants, and so on), and residential customers via a self-owned mini-grid.

SolarNow, on the contrary, is a full-service solar EPC firm that has been operating in East Africa since 2011.

SolarNow has evolved from a company that provides energy to over 50,000 rural households and small companies to a solar EPC engaged in the East African commercial and industrial (C&I) market.

SolarNow offers client financing and assists businesses and organizations with the design and installation of solar system solutions.

Its primary businesses are in education, healthcare, telecommunications, hospitality, manufacturing, oil and gas, real estate, and non-profit.