Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology has stated that the solar power systems in households and the Hulhule’-Hulhumale’ link road will begin generating power in August.
The ministry stated that 70% of the link road project has been completed and that a large part of the installation of solar power modules will be finished in July. The system will then be connected to the State Electric Company (STELCO) grid and begin generating power in August.
The installation of solar panels on households and the Hulhule’-Hulhumale’ link road is financed by the World Bank under the Accelerating Sustainable Private Investment in Renewable Energy (ASPIRE) initiative. As such, a 600kW solar power system has already been installed in households in Hulhumale’ and connected to the STELCO grid and the project aims to install solar panels in households that can generate a total of 1.5MW of electricity.
Meanwhile, the installation of a 5MW solar power system on the Hulhule’-Hulhumale’ link road is ongoing. The project is the largest initiative in the Maldives under the second phase of ASPIRE and is expected to significantly decrease the reliance on oil and allow the government to save USD1.3 million and generate 7.3 million units of electricity each year.
Furthermore, the ministry is focused on the establishment of battery energy storage systems under the Accelerating Renewable-Energy Integration and Sustainable Energy (ARISE) project, also financed by the World Bank. The initiative will enable excess power generated through solar energy to be stored and utilised later. The ministry stated it will also resolve the stability issues faced by the power grid when the sustainable energy supplied to the grid exceeds 30%. The aim of the ARISE project is to increase generation capacity from renewable energy sources and facilitate their integration into the grid infrastructure of the Maldives.
The government aims to reduce spending on energy generation, which currently accounts for about 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and allocate the funds to other sectors. Transitioning to renewable energy is a priority for the government to safeguard the economy from sudden changes, given the country’s dependence on fuel for energy generation and the volatility of the global fuel market.