German solar company ecoligo is bringing its fully-financed solar-as-a-service offering to Ghana, to help businesses access affordable electricity.
The Berlin-based company has opened a branch in the capital, Accra – located in the city’s leading innovation workspace, Impact Hub. ecoligo will soon commence its first project in the country, which will be to supply Impact Hub with a solar system generating zero-emission electricity independently of the national grid.
As part of the project, ecoligo will install an 8.1 kWp rooftop solar system capable of generating 12 MWh of clean energy each year. The solar system will also include a Hoppecke energy storage unit to ensure the system can operate off-grid when needed.
The Impact Hub building will receive its energy directly from the rooftop solar. The battery system will be charged by the solar, also providing electricity in the evening hours and at night. If there is no sun, the full battery provides energy to the hub. It also serves as a backup in case of a main grid blackout, and provides power in this case. The solar system not only provides Impact Hub with a secure power source, but also lowers its energy costs.
Ghana has been challenged by electricity problems in recent years, with frequent blackouts and high costs. With the election of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, there has been greater hope for the country’s fledgling renewable energy industry – but there are still financing challenges facing the delivery of solar projects for small and mid-sized companies. By bringing its fully-financed solar-as-a-service solution to the local market, ecoligo aims to help address these issues.
The first step was to open its new office in Accra, from which ecoligo will run its Ghanaian operations. The move to Ghana marks further involvement in the African market for ecoligo: last year the company successfully financed three solar projects for its partner in Kenya through the crowdinvesting platform ecoligo.investments. ecoligo will begin financing and executing its own projects – developed in cooperation with trusted local partners in Ghana – in the coming months.
Martin Baart, CEO of ecoligo, said: “It’s really important for us to have a permanent presence in the market, rather than conducting business from afar; both in terms of knowing our clients and increasing efficiency. We have already seen how this has helped us to build strong relationships with partners and clients, and we are looking forward to increasing our presence here”.
William Edem Senyo, CEO of Impact Hub Accra, said: “We are happy to include ecoligo in the community of dynamic teams working at the Impact Hub in Accra, and it’s great that we can also benefit from their solution. Powering Impact Hub Accra with ecoligo’s solar-as-a-service solution will help us lessen our environmental impact, improve the reliability of power for the Hub, and strengthen our message of sustainability as we work on building the city’s first grassroots innovation enclave”.
