Summary

Greenhouses that produce solar power

Madagascar is the largest island state in Africa and the fourth largest island in the world. At the equivalent of 400US$ per year, annual gross national income per capita is far below the average of other Sub-Saharan African states. Only about 23% of the people have access to electricity. Madagascar is one of the sunniest countries in the world with around 3000 hours of sunshine per year, making it ideal for solar energy. Solar installations on greenhouses also enable better production possibilities in agriculture, by means of intelligent irrigation methods.

Modern drip irrigation via solar energy

The installed solar capacity of our plant will initially be 1MWp, which under the given solar irradiation values in Madagascar is expected to produce more than 1,700,000 kWh of electricity per year and CO₂ emission reductions of approx. 1,000 tonnes. A further 2MWp shall be completed in a second construction phase by 2021/2022.

In the first construction phase more than 100 local workers were employed, who will again be employed in the second construction phase.

An important part of the plant is the agricultural component. Farmers will be able to grow high-quality vegetables based on optimized drip irrigation, which is up to 90% more efficient than traditional irrigation methods.

Another component of the project is the construction of an on-site training center. It is no coincidence that the facility is located next to the Antsirabe Institute of Higher Education. The center offers train-the-trainer programs for instructors and students of the Faculty of Agriculture. The aim of the institute is to teach methods that help to increase production efficiency, improve water management and expand market access. All stages of cultivation are taught, from growth and fertilizer management to harvesting, packaging and marketing.

Our partner

SUNfarming Madagascar SARL is our local contractor for the construction, operation and maintenance of the plant in Antsirabe. The local company is a subsidiary of the German SUNfarming GmbH, a company that combines solar energy with regional food production.

While the solar plant of the first phase of construction is already completed and produces clean solar electricity daily, the installation of the agricultural component is delayed due to COVID-19. As soon as SUNfarming’s experts are allowed to re-enter the country, the remaining installation of the irrigation system will take place.

The financing of the project by atmosfair lowers the risk to such an extent that other investors can also get involved. By bringing the right actors together, we want to create a leverage effect with our invested funds. The success of the project in Antsirabe should serve as an example here.

Your contact at atmosfair

Share

Tweet