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Solar Mini-Grids, Lesotho

29°32'00.9"S 28°47'21.7"E

-28.9640263, 28.5935159

Solar Minigrid

2 Villages, 500+ HH, 97 kWp Installed

Commissioned: November 2022

The high altitude, landlocked nation of Lesotho, situated inside South Africa, has a rural population of more than sixty percent. Owing to the mountainous terrain, electrification in these parts has not exceeded around 50%, as grid extension is not economically feasible.

Minigrid installation in Motete

Technical Specifications:

  • Solar modules - 405 Wp (Canadian Solar)
  • Inverter - 72 kW at each site (Victron)
  • Battery bank - 167 kWh & 142 kWh ( Hoppecke)
  • Grid - Three phase

In 2020 Science Technology and Innovation for Development (STI4D) ltd, the National University of Lesotho, MOSCET and Gram Oorja, identified solar mini-grids to be a cost-effective and sustainable solution to the electrification problem. A project to install mini-grids was commissioned and funded by InnovateUK.

The project will power the two villages of Linakaneng, with 230 households and Motete, with 290 households. The introduction of the mini-grids in these villages will increase productivity and aid economic growth while providing reliable, clean electricity for daily usage.