A solar-powered desalination system has been commissioned in Cape Coast, the capital city of the Central Region of south Ghana, after 24 months of research and development.
The facility’s location at the Philip Quaque School, the oldest school in the West African country was chosen with the help of Technik ohne Grenzen e.V and the local people. Grino Water Solutions developed this pilot project in partnership with other companies, including Energiebau Sunergy Ghana, which installed the solar system, and Safeflex Way Water Technologies, which carried out the drilling.
Read: Africa’s largest seawater desalination plant launched in Morocco
Project details
The project involved construction of a borehole from which a pump drags about 8 m3 of water per day. The facility was equipped with 24 photovoltaic solar panels that can provide up to 8 kW power per day. The solar system will be mainly used to power the installed desalination system that is capable of supplying about 3,000 liters of drinking water per day.
The surplus energy on the other hand will be used to power the borehole pump and the disinfection unit of the water distribution system that connects the main water tank to another water tank installed at the Jacob Wilson-Say School and an additional one that provides water for the community around the school. It will also be used for daily electricity consumption such as lighting or charging of electrical devices.
This project was financed by Innovation und Zukunft Stiftung (Manfred Schmitz, Barbara Schmitz). 30% of the water produced at the facility will be sold to the people at an affordable price to compensate for the small maintenance costs and ensure the sustainability of the project. More than 1,000 people will benefit from it.
