An employee of Anka Madagascar connects a new electricity pole.
The largest of the five solar mini-grids is being built in the village of Mangily: the 400 kWp solar plant with its 1,344 kWh lithium-ion battery will supply five surrounding villages with clean electricity
In order to supply the five villages around Mangily, kilometres of new power cables and lines have to be laid.
Employees of Anka Madagascar laying new power cables.
Engineers of Anka Madagascar discuss the design of the new power grids.
Anka Madagascar employees inform the villagers about the solar mini-grid project and explain the technology.

Summary

Total savings :1.000 Tons CO₂ per year
Technology transfer :"Solar mini-grids": Photovoltaic modules feed into newly constructed distribution grids and thus supply rural villages. Lithium-ion batteries also provide power at night.
Local environment :Less CO2 and fine particles emissions
Further advantages :Over 20,000 people from ten villages finally have reliable access to clean and cheap electricity, Reduction of dependence on oil imports, Promotion of the solar industry in the region
Project partners :Anka Madagascar S.A.; autarsys Madagascar

Madagascar is the largest island state in Africa and the fourth largest island in the world. With the equivalent of 440 US dollars a year1, the annual gross national income per capita is far below the average of the other African states south of the Sahara. Only about 15% of the Madagascan have an electricity connection, in the rural areas less than one out of ten persons2. Cooking with firewood and coal as well as the common practice of slash-and-burn clearances unfortunately contribute to the rapid deforestation of the island: between the years 1950 and 2000, 40% of the forest area has already disappeared, accompanied by a reduction of the “core forest” by almost 80%3 (more than one kilometer from a non-forest edge).

Since 2019, atmosfair has been financing several renewable energy projects in Madagascar and wants to show further investors that a sustainable energy turnaround is possible on the island.

Only about 7% of people in Madagascar's rural areas have access to electricity

Many Madagascans have to walk for miles to recharge their mobile phones. Moreover, electricity also means more production and better food and health care. An expansion of the energy supply is therefore urgently needed, but the national budget is burdened by high subsidies for the country’s largest electricity supplier. A costly expansion of the national electricity grid is a long way off and not the most cost-effective way either. Madagascar is one of the sunniest countries in the world with more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, so decentralised solar power supply to rural areas is not only easier but also cheaper.

atmosfair finances the construction and operation of decentralised solar power grids ("solar mini-grids") in the southwest of the island

Through a low-interest loan to the companies Anka Madagascar and autarsys Madagascar, atmosfair has significantly contributed to the planning and financing of the construction of five solar mini-grids. The systems each consist of a solar power system, a lithium-ion battery and a new power distribution network. These systems will supply a total of around 20,000 people in ten villages with clean and cheap electricity. The discussion shows that the villages are expecting an economic upturn, as the high diesel costs incurred to operate emergency power generators can finally be saved.

atmosfair actively accompanies the project developers on site and plans to grant the project partner Anka Madagascar another low-interest loan to electrify seven more villages with solar mini-grids.

Short Video about the benefits of Solar Mini-Grids in Madagascar (in French)

Your contact at atmosfair

Nele Erdmann
Senior Project Developer
Dipl. Wi.-Ing. Energy and Environmental Management
+49 (0)30 120 84 80 - 63