Benin - Allocation of a solar lamp rental and collective charging kiosk to a women’s group

Presentation of the association and the context

Energie Pour Tous

Since 2014, the association Energie Pour Tous (EPT) has been working in collaboration with local Beninese partners to provide the most deprived populations with access to night lighting by providing equipment and sustainable support, specially adapted to the local environment.

The context of the project

The project is designed to provide a women’s groups with a material endowment in the form of a collective charging kiosk powered by photovoltaic panels. The operating mode of the kiosk is based on the provision of solar lamps/batteries for each beneficiary household, in exchange for the payment of a sum (1500 FCFA or 1.5 € per month in the majority of villages) which also gives access to telephone recharging.These monthly amounts collected by the manager are deposited in a specific bank account opened for this purpose and co-managed with EPT (co-signature). These funds are used for the maintenance and repair of the equipment and for the renewal of the batteries. At the start of the project, the association provides the group with a coordinator and a technician to monitor, maintain and service the equipment, and to train the group members and the manager in particular in adopting correct habits and practices to ensure maximum lifespan of the equipment.

Presentation of the project

The energy problem

Despite national action plans implemented in recent years, the energy sector remains underdeveloped in Benin. The number of households connected to the national grid remains low, particularly in rural areas where the rate of access to electricity is 18% in 2018. (World Bank data).
The village of Zounhomey is very far from the national electricity grid (more than 50 km), so it is not included in the country’s rural electrification master plan. The energy problem is real, considerably preventing certain development factors from acting (education, development of income-generating activities, social ties, reduction of the cost of supplementary lighting, etc.).

The adopted solutions

Each kiosk will be equipped with a lighting station composed of 60 charging positions for 120 individual batteries: 60 batteries are offered for use while the other 60 are being charged and a phone charger station equipped with 10 charging positions with a maximum capacity of 80 charges/day.
Technical characteristics:
Lighting station: • 4 polycrystalline photovoltaic panels (36 Wp 18V, 2.06A, Type Sundaya PS-LEC600) • 1 station of 60 charging positions (18-21V, 0,6A, Type Sundaya JouleStick PS-JSCS-01/01) • 120 individual batteries (3,7V Type Sundaya JouleStick 30) • 60 LED lamps (3 levels of lighting 20, 100, 200 lumens).
Phone charger station : • 2 polycrystalline photovoltaic panels (36 Wp 18V, 2,06 A, Type Sundaya PS-LEC600) • 1 charge controller (12-24V, 10A, 145W, Type Victron Energie BlueSolar MPPT 75/10) • 1 charger with 5 protected USB plugs 2 outputs of 5V, 4.2A • 1 lead-acid battery 12V, 95 Ah.