Garden City, Nairobi, Kenya

Location Garden City, Nairobi, KenyaSize

858kWpAnnual generation

1250MWhLifetime CO2 savings

6,250 tonnes

Africa’s largest car port solar systemIn 2015 Solarcentury designed and constructed Africa’s largest solar carport on the uppermost storey of a car park at Garden City Mall – part of a 32-acre integrated residential, retail park, hotel and office development on Nairobi’s Thika Superhighway.

It’s the second largest photovoltaic (PV) system in Kenya, and Solarcentury East Africa’s third project here.

As well as providing 454 parking spaces and 6,000 m2 of car park shade, the 3,364 solar panels on the carports will generate 1250 MWh of clean solar electricity per year. If it were used to boil kettles, it would be enough to make over 80 million cups of tea – that’s two cups for every Kenyan in the country.

This solar electricity is used by Garden City’s retail tenants – over 120 major local and international retail brands, many of them opening their flagship stores in Kenya for the first time. The 858kWp system will also cut carbon emissions by around 250 tonnes a year1, so there is a clear environmental benefit.

The PV system uses highly innovative dual-mode technology. It provides solar energy in the daytime, meaning less is used from the grid, and when the grid is down it automatically switches over to provide power together with back-up generators. Essentially, the system is able to operate in either mode.

The project used a solar framing product from local supplier Booth Aluminium, designed by Solarcentury and the first manufactured by the company.

Garden City has won the prestigious LEED certification and is the first mixed-used development in East Africa to do so. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices, developed by the US Green Building Council, a non-profit organisation based in Washington DC.

Garden City is an example of how investment in regional infrastructure can bring lasting value.Nairobi Governor Dr. Evans Kidero, speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for Garden City in 2013

Why did Garden City’s investors choose solar?Investment company Actis wanted to take a ‘green-by-design’ approach, incorporating sustainability measures from the very beginning of the design process. Solar was a natural choice; solar production worldwide is doubling every two years, while the cost has dropped 100 times in the last 40 years. The International Energy Agency predicts that by 2050 solar will be the number one producer of electricity in the world.

Economists say that growth in many African countries continues to be held back by a dearth of electricity. Routine blackouts cost the continent as much as 4% of GDP, according to the African Development Bank, while total African power generation per capita is as little as a tenth of some other developing regions such as South America.

Despite the perception that solar is mainly for poorer communities living without access to grid energy, it can also be used where there is a grid – in fact over 90% of the world’s solar electricity systems are connected to the grid.

In fact, solar is perfect for dense urban environments like the populous city of Nairobi. Solar power technology can use otherwise redundant rooftops and provide power at the point of use – and in some cases improve the look of a building or provide another function like shade. In particular, Solarcentury’s dual-mode technology system delivers better economic returns by reducing the load on standby generators during power outages.

How much could you be paying for electricity? In Kenya, the cost of diesel is around US $1 per litre (fuel costs per kWh of diesel-generated power can exceed US $0.40 per kWh). The cost of grid power for businesses is $0.20 per kWh.

In comparison, the cost of power from a solar PV system is generally $0.10-0.15/kWh, depending on finance costs and radiation. Adding a solar PV system to the local network to offset diesel and grid consumption will significantly reduce overall energy bills for Garden City. Cost of energy is the most significant business expense, so there is great potential to boost profits and give a competitive advantage.

The payback on a solar investment can be as soon as 5 years. The solar panels have a 25-year warranty and an even longer expected lifetime, so solar is an attractive long-term investment.

Many businesses worldwide have invested in solar themselves and have benefited from lower operating costs. However, some businesses prefer to use one of the various finance options that are available. This includes lease finance such as the Solar4Africa offer or Power Purchase Agreements (PPA).

Solarcentury can offer a PPA finance solution whereby a client can benefit from cheaper solar power without the upfront investment. The client purchases the power generated from a solar system installed on their roof or the ground, and receives fixed price power for 25 years – after which they own the system.

The hybrid system provided by Solarcentury ensures that we primarily use solar power that’s abundant in the region for electrical needs, ensuring consistent supply thus cost reduction on expensive diesel generators and grid consumption. It’s therefore not only better for the environment, but better for the bank balance of Garden City.” Elizabeth Wangeci Chege, CEO and Co-Founder of Web Limited, sustainable consultants for Garden City

Garden City is a highly energy-efficient development that will be a genuine mixed-use community and an enduring landmark that the residents of Nairobi and the region can be proud of. Koome Gikunda, Investment Principal, Actis

Project timelineSolarcentury was first on site in May 2014 and had the system oparting in July 2015.

The official launch took place in September 2015.

“Solar is perfect for urban areas where land is at a premium yet energy needs to be supplied near to demand, and it integrates easily with the dense power networks. Installing the panels on the roof of a car park makes use of otherwise functionless roof space, serving the dual purpose of providing shade and generating power at the same time.

Guy Lawrence, Director for Solarcentury in East Africa

February-May 2014:

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June 2014:

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January 2015:

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July 2015:

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September 2015 :

Pre-contract design work by Solarcentury

Installing the conduit in the slab by the electrical contractor

Plinths cast in place by the main contractor Sino Hydro

Solarcentury EPC contracts signed

Goods begin to arrive on site

Layout and framework installation

Electrical cable installation

First panel installed

System operating

Commissioning

Handover

Solar hybrid technology

Dan Davies, Director, Hybrid Power Systems

Solarcentury is one of the most respected solar companies in the world. Founded in 1998, it has been around since the early days of the solar industry and has been part of the evolution that has made PV the attractive investment it is today. Solarcentury has put solar on a greater variety of sites than any other company in the industry, including the world’s largest solar bridge in London, Blackfriars, winning multiple awards for its project and product innovation.

We are excited about the opportunity to work with the various renewable energy stakeholders in Kenya. We have worked with the Kenya Renewable Energy Association on the initial draft on a set of Kenyan PV Installation Guidelines. The Kenyan Association of Manufacturers is now developing this with the assistance of UK Department for International Development.

The development of standards for training and regulation of suppliers and installers is key to building a safe and reliable solar industry; this has been recognised by Kenya’s energy regulator the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) which has imposed a requirement for those companies selling and installing solar systems to be licensed. Solarcentury is proud to have completed this registration process and carries the ERC C1 Licence.

Here at Garden City, Solarcentury was involved in the solar project from the outset. We worked with the design team to assess a number of options for solar power at the mall and were then engaged to do the detailed design. Once construction started, we supported the shopping mall contractor to make sure that the site was ready to have solar installed; when they reached roof level, we then carried out the system installation with a team of international and local contractors.

Solarcentury’s business is global and growing, with our headquarters in London UK and offices in Germany, The Netherlands, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Latin American countries.

Solarcentury East Africa is based in Nairobi and headed up by Guy Lawrence. Guy has worked in Kenya for many years and has a team of local engineers and project managers. Solarcentury East Africa is fully accredited by the Kenyan Energy Regulatory Commission and has three T3 solar technicians in the team.

About Solarcentury

Solar working in parallel with the grid or diesel:

New control strategies enable large solar PV systems, such as the one at Garden City, to be operated in parallel with diesel generators, which act as a back-up power source for when the sun isn’t shining. This kind of system, seen here, is known as a hybrid PV system.

Operating solar PV systems alongside diesel generators presents a number of challenges including ensuring a stable power supply with the solar PV operating in parallel with the generator, and ensuring the generator never runs below 35% part load, which can damage the machinery. The hybrid technology means that solar PV systems can run alongside diesel generators without the need for expensive batteries. The control system manages the output from the solar PV system to ensure that the diesel generator operates at a minimum, and also so that the diesel generator can be deployed if loads rapidly increase or if clouds momentarily reduce the solar output.

One of the most common hybrid applications is where solar PV is being used to reduce the off-take from the public grid in places with expensive and intermittent power, and then to use the same system to work in parallel with the standby generators. This reduces fuel consumption without removing the essential back-up of the diesel generator for night-time operation or when the sun is not shining. Where local utilities do not allow reverse power flow into the distribution network, the control system can be used to switch off the inverters when reverse power flow is about to happen.

Find out more Call

+254 (0)705 957684

Email

internationalenquiries@solarcentury.com

Visit

www.solarcentury.com

Solarcentury is in business for a purpose

to make a big difference in the fight against climate change through widespread adoption of solar power.

We are a big believer in helping solar change our world for the better, and we contribute 5% of our net profits every year to SolarAid, the charity we founded, which aims to eradicate kerosene lamps from Africa by 2020.

SCK

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Solarcentury East Africa Ltd,Marula Manor, Marula Lane, Karen,Nairobi, Kenya

PO Box 15097,00509,Nairobi, Kenya

Registered in Kenya no. CPR/2013/109535