In Golomoti village around 100 km from the capital Lilongwe in Malawi, one of Impact Fund Denmark’s portfolio companies, JCM Power Corporation (JCM Power), is operating a 20-megawatt PV solar power park. This is the company’s second solar power park following a 60-megawatt project in Salima that started producing electricity during the fourth quarter of 2021.
As only around 10 per cent of the population in Malawi has access to electricity, the additional generating capacity is highly needed. It contributes to increasing the share of RE in the energy mix in Malawi, create a more reliable power supply and potentially reduce the use of firewood for cooking, which has adverse health effects and leads to deforestation.
First solar park with battery storage
With support from Innovate UK, Golomoti is the first commercial solar park in Malawi to introduce a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). In addition to the installation of the solar modules on trackers, this will lead to improved performance of the facility. When commissioned in early 2022, it is expected that the Golomoti solar park will provide electricity for more than 100,000 households and reduce CO2 emissions by around 3,000 tCO2e annually.
The two new solar parks erected by JCM Power are in line with the Malawian strategy to attract more private investments in the energy sector, which is estimated to have a funding gap of USD 2.5 billion towards 2030.