With World Bank Funding
By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA) has officially launched Liberia’s Solar Home System results-based Financing project in this country.
RREA aims to facilitate and accelerate the economic transformation of rural Liberia by promoting the commercial development and supply of modern energy services to rural areas with an emphasis on locally available renewable resources.
Under the World Bank, GIZ, and Netherlands-funded project, the Liberia Electricity sector strengthening and access project, Rural and Renewable Energy Agency, and Energizing Development together with BRAC Liberia are seeking to jointly implement the Liberia solar home system results-based financing project.
The project, which is valued aroundUS$10 million will benefit several rural communities beginning with the construction of distribution factories in Greenville, Sinoe, and Buchanan Grand Bassa County among others.
The project is implemented by the government of Liberia through the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency to expand electricity access through off-grid solar products and solar mini-grids in selected and underserved counties of Liberia, the poorer and remote regions.
Speaking at the launch of the project Wednesday held at a local Hotel in Monrovia, the Deputy Executive Director of RREA, Stephen Potter Sr. says a significant portion of Liberians are likely to be connected to central utility grids in the foreseeable future.
According to Potter, the project is expected to commence from November 2023 until June 2025 for the DS components and until 2026 for the ID component.
The Renewal Energy Agency Director maintained that the objective of the launch is to introduce the project to off-grid companies, potential customers, partners, investors, and other stakeholders to demonstrate the benefits, features, and performance of the solar home system.
The launch of the Solar Home System results-based Financing project brought together local International partners, stakeholders from the energy sector, and the private sectors respectively.