The Director General of the National Electricity Company (SNEL), Jean Bosco Kayombo affirmed Wednesday, April 4, 2018 in the National Assembly that only half of the demand for electricity is available for the city of Kinshasa. Faced with this glaring lack of electrical energy, some companies and individuals are multiplying initiatives to fill this gap. DESKECO.COM has discovered ERCO Solar, a factory that manufactures solar panels in Kinshasa.
Nobody can imagine that there is a solar panel manufacturing plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Located on the outskirts of the city of Kinshasa, on the By-Pass road in the commune of Mont Ngafula, the factory has only three employees.
The oldest, Samy Mpanzu, 40 years old, is in charge of the technical part. He is assisted by two other employees, one of whom is almost his age and the other is about 20 years old. All alumni of the Higher Institute of Applied Techniques (ISTA).
“I was contacted by one of my friends who told me of their intention to set up a solar panel manufacturing plant in Kinshasa. Two months later, what was just an idea became a reality. The factory was installed and a Chinese came to introduce us. He just did a week here in Congo instead of a scheduled month. It must be said that as an electronics engineer, we already had several concepts, which facilitated the task, “said Samy Mpanzu.
He said the plant is not yet able to produce signs for the entire population of Kinshasa and the DRC and pleads for support from the Congolese state in this sector.
Une usine des panneaux solaires à Kin. Une initiative louable #deskeco.com #actualite.cd pic.twitter.com/cJYe7RbxWK
— Willy Akonda Lomanga (@WLomanga) 26 mai 2018
“We make an average of six panels a day, from Monday to Friday, 30 panels per week. Each panel of 180 or 300 watts takes on average two hours. And we take care ourselves up to that time of the installation in the people who solicit our service. Solar panels are for the moment reserved for the more or less affluent people. But our goal is to increase production to allow all families to get it. And this must also be the government’s concern to subsidize us, “added Samy Mpanzu.
The company ERCO Solar aims to promote renewable energy in households and even in some companies.
Currently in the city of Kinshasa province, you need to have at least 500 dollars USD on average in a modest family to have quality solar energy with autonomy of at least four hours.
Desk Eco
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