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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Benguela Community/UNAM Wind Power Demonstration Project—Experiences in Implementation
Author(s)
Innocent Davidson, Hina MuAshekele and Ndako Mukapuli
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DOI:10.17265/1934-8975/2014.06.012
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ABSTRACT
The government of Namibia has committed itself to promote the use of economically viable RE (renewable energy) technologies, as a complement to grid electrification, and to improve energy provision to rural areas. This paper presents the implementation of the Benguela Community-UNAM Wind-Power Demonstration Project, which is a community-run wind-power mini-generation pilot plant in Luderitz, Namibia. Luderitz is located in South-Western Namibia along the Namib Desert. The region experiences abundant south-westerly winds and the coastal weather conditions make it a suitable location for wind energy. This project is an initiative from the community of Luderitz and a first of its kind in Namibia. It demonstrates the application of small-scale wind energy systems in Namibia and contributes to the growing national awareness of RE and use of wind power in the country. Through its activities, the project has created a dialogue between the local authorities, business community, schools and the greater community. The balance of the paper discusses lessons learned; envisaged future development plans; highlights technical, administrative and management activities; as well as potential for replication and barriers encountered during the project implementation including institutional constraints. The solution-methods developed are presented and discussed.
KEYWORDS
Renewable energy, community-run, micro-grid, wind-power, clean energy technologies, Namibia
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