“Solar power as a basis for the development of drinking water in West Africa”: this was the goal generated by a workshop in Saint-Louis du Senegal from 30 January to 1 February 2018 on the use of photovoltaic energy for drinking water services in the sub-region. Organised by the Water Solidarity Programme (pS-Eau), and initiated and funded by the Greater Paris Region Water Syndicate (Sedif) (in French only), this technical meeting brought together approximately thirty participants from Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, working in the sector: energy suppliers, consultancy firms, water and electricity service managers, regulatory bodies, development operators, elected representatives and financial partners.
GRET presented the solar and hybrid solar-thermal energy supply experiences it supports as part of the Aicha Mauritania (in French only) and Aicha Saint-Louis (in French only) projects.
The discussions made it possible to highlight the strong potential for the development of this technology, made possible by the significant reduction in material costs over recent years and by the spread of its use by numerous economic stakeholders. Investing in solar energy has now become profitable for a broad range of drinking water production services. Its use makes it possible to reduce the cost of water by decreasing the operational costs of services, and thereby to favour access to water for all. There are still some challenges to overcome: ensuring quality material is available, development of local supply value chains, the difficulty of using solar energy above a certain level of consumption and management of users’ panels.
This dynamic, initiated by Sedif, was warmly welcomed by all participants, who expressed their wish to meet every year to discuss this subject and review their respective progress.
