System integrates hydroelectric power stations, 36 diesel generator sets Barrick Gold Corp. and Caterpillar dealer Tractafric have installed 7.5 MW of battery energy storage capacity for the company’s microgrid at the Kibali gold mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Tractafric’s solution deploys the battery energy storage and Cat bi-directional power inverters (BDP) […]
DRC Engages Linklaters on UK-Backed Solar Initiative
Linklaters has advised the Ministry of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity of the Democratic Republic of Congo on a solar project development. The DRC’s Ministry of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity has been advised by Linklaters on the Essor Access to Electricity (A2E) Initiative, an initiative launched in 2019 and funded by the United Kingdom government, for […]
Solar technologies can speed up vaccine rollout in Africa.
There’s hope that some industrialised countries will achieve near-universal vaccination against COVID-19 in the coming months. Yet the effort to vaccinate even the most essential workers in developing countries has only just begun. By current estimates, achieving herd immunity (to current strains) will require at least 75% of the world’s population to be vaccinated. Some […]
Booming electric vehicle sales drive surge in cobalt prices
Payables – a reference to the percentage of the cobalt metal price used to price hydroxide, a feedstock for electric vehicle (EV) batteries – are up at around 93-94% from about 63-69% a year ago, analysts from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence said. LONDON: Demand and prices for battery material cobalt are soaring as electric vehicles stream […]
Solar-powered cell towers aim to connect 10 million people in DRC
Canadian NuRAN Wireless has entered into a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) contract with Orange DRC SA to create solar-powered cell phone towers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). NuRAN is partnering with Orange DRC and various multi-network operators to construct and operate 2,000 solar-powered communication masts over the next 40 months. The towers will be […]
Developing Clean Energy Potential in the DRC
As global energy focus shifts towards renewables, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is gaining traction as an attractive investment destination due to its immense clean energy potential. Hydro, solar, wind and biomass are among key resources projected to contribute a sizable share to the country’s energy mix […]
Consortium wins bid to develop hybrid solar projects in DRC
Essor is an ambitious programme to build greenfield hybrid solar power generation and distribution projects in three cities in northern DRC (Gemena, Bumba and Isiro), each with a population of between 130,000 and 180,000. According to a company statement, these cities currently have no grid connection, and struggle to access reliable, affordable and clean power. […]
Bboxx Launches New Solar Solutions in DRC
UK-based energy company Bboxx has launched its new bPower20 product aiming to power rural households and micro-businesses. The initial launch will take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Togo, Rwanda and Kenya, with a further roll out in other markets in 2021. The product comes with a 20-watt solar panel and up to […]