Emergency situations continue to rise in an increasingly uncertain world, whether due to geopolitical context, natural disasters or climate change.
‘Villaya Emergency’ by Schneider Electric is a containerized mobile solar microgrid solution designed to be easy to use in any humanitarian emergency and manufactured at its Kenya plant.
Thanks to a system of easy-to-use and easy-to-move photovoltaic panels, the system generates at least 10 kilowatt peak electricity enough to power a village, health center or individual / group areas in refugee camps.The entire solution can be fitted in a standard shipping container for fast, easy transport or worldwide relocation.
Production of Villaya Emergency started early this year at the Nairobi factory of Schneider Electric and will cover the needs of the continent of Africa.
Villaya Emergency emerged as a concept from the discussions between UNHCR experts and managers of Schneider Electric’s Access to Energy programme.
“Its main benefit is easy installation in less than half an hour after delivery,” said Olivier Jacquet, who is in charge of the Emergencies, Refugees and Conflicts team at Schneider Electric.
The photovoltaic panels are ready to install, mounted on wheels, precabled and placed on a mobile system called EXOrac, manufactured by a start – up called PWRstation.
Villaya Emergency includes an inverter and a battery for tropical environments developed by Schneider Electric. The functional unit can convert direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) and can operate at temperatures up to 45 ° C without any reduction in performance at a maximum operating temperature of 60 ° C.
A comprehensive monitoring system allows users to monitor the battery status at any time, along with the level of energy production and consumption.
‘Villaya’ can be quickly deployed by customers with a fully operating solar microgrid that generates power in off-grid environments.
