The Community Energy Service of Bambadinca starts the testing phase

The Community Energy Service of Bambadinca starts the testing phase
Involvement of the community in the project

The solution that will light up the community of Bambadinca in Guinea-Bissau is the first of its kind and is the result of joint efforts between the community, regional and national authorities and the NGO TESE Sem Fronteiras. The project aims to ensure quality, reliable and sustainable access of electricity to the center of semi-rural Bambadinca using renewable energy sources. Through the provision of affordable, reliable energy the project aims to improve the living conditions of local households, improve local commerce and the performance of institutions such as schools, hospitals and local administration.
About 120 pilot customers started testing from 15th November 2014, the Community Energy Service of Bambadinca (SCEB), which has been developed under the framework of the EF Project "Bambadinca Sta Claro - Programme for Renewable Energy Access". The Project is promoted in Guinea-Bissau by the Portuguese NGO TESE Sem Fronteiras, in close collaboration with the Bambadinca’s Development Community Association (ACDB), the General Directorate of Energy, the NGO DIVUTEC and the University of Lisbon. The project is funded by the European Union, UNIDO, ECREEE and by the Camões Language and Cooperation Institute. The project is supported under the GEF funded UNIDO-ECREEE project "Promoting Renewable Energy Investment in the Electricity Sector of Guinea Bissau".
According to the planning, the SCEB will supply electricity by the end of 2015 to about 650 households in the community of Bambadinca, which has a population around 6500 inhabitants, through an hybrid photovoltaic plant with 312 kW of installed capacity and consisting of 1248 photovoltaic panels, 216 batteries  and three diesel generators.
The SCEB is based on a technical and innovative management solution, in which a based-community association (ACDB) is authorized by the State to the generation, transmission and sale of electricity to the population, in a public-community partnership model. The operational tests of the service will intensively take place until the end of the year and include: the start-up of the hybrid photovoltaic plant, the connection to the medium and lower voltage power grid, and the technical assistance to ACDB for the implementation of the management, operational and maintenance procedures developed during the last months.
Click on the links below for more infromation
Project fact sheet- ECOWREX
Project fact sheet- ACP EU Energy Facility
PROJECT VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
PROJECT VIDEO ON VIMEO

Observatory Country: 

Guinea-Bissau