TOGO – In Togo, a country in West Africa, a new dimensioning software for the sizing of solar energy equipment has been launched as part of efforts to improve the quality of solar systems in the country.

Togo plans to produce 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Among the challenges to be addressed is the design of quality solar systems.

The software which is a brain child of Kya-Energy Group – a supplier of solar energy systems in West Africa – will enable technicians operating in the field of solar energy to use the correct dimensions for their equipment, thus improving the quality of solar energy installations.

By supporting high quality solar design and installation, the software by the name “Kya-SolDesign” will thus be contributing towards helping the country achieve its renewable energy plans

To ensure that the software is mastered, Kya-Energy Group said that it would like the operation of Kya-SolDesign to be studied in Togo’s universities and academic institutions.

The Kya-solDesign is the latest of many achievements that Togo has made in the energy sector.

Prior to 2000, Togo had an electricity penetration rate of just 17%. Today, the small west African nation has an electricity penetration rate of more than 45% percent.

Most of the electricity produced domestically is based on hydropower and fossil fuels. The amount of electricity produced fluctuates greatly from year to year.

In 2017, hydropower had a 69.1% share and the share of electricity produced by petroleum products was 24.7%.

The resolve to increase the contribution of renewable energy to the total energy mix has resulted in great growth in the renewable energy sector in recent years.

Solar energy has been particularly popular with the country pursuing a multi-modal approach that includes large scale solar projects, mini-grids, solar home systems, and Commercial and Industrial Scale solar projects.

On large scale solar, Togo signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with UAE-based AMEA Power in 2019 for the production and supply of electricity from the firms 30MWp solar power plant.

From then on, the Togolese government has signeda number of agreements for development of more than 80MWp of large-scale solar energy.

The country is also aggressively pursuing the mini-grid mode of solar power and plans to add more than 317 AfDB financed mini-grids into its energy mix.

To bring solar energy to a wider population, Togo has put in place a truly unique subsidy program to make Solar home systems (SHS) more affordable to its population.

The program called CIZO allows SHS companies to directly receive a fixed monthly amount for every SHS installed and registered leaving the beneficiary with a small portion of the electricity burden to pay.

This has made solar even more popular in the country with thousands of Togolese embracing solar energy as a primary source of energy.

The gains of solar energy in Togo would be lost if Solar systems were not optimally installed. This is where Kya-SolDesign comes in and if widely embraced will ensure the Togolese citizens fully reap the benefits of solar energy.

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