This month FAO is celebrating the 1st year of operation of the solar PV system installed at FAO Djibouti!

In line with the main objective of the FAO Corporate Environmental Responsibility Team to reduce its emissions and environmental impact, the Corporate Environmental Responsibility Team from FAO Headquarters in Italy, FAO Djibouti and UNDP Green Energy Solutions Team in Denmark cooperated on this project for one of the agency’s Decentralized Offices.

The grid-tied hybrid system, which consist of a combination of PV modules and a complementary method of electricity generation, has been steadily producing clean energy since October 2018.

The 14 kWp system has enabled the reduction of electricity consumption by 37%: in 2017 it amounted to 90 000, while in 2018 the total was about 33 000 kWh. It allows saving 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, which is equivalent to roughly 3 478 litres of gasoline consumed.

With an initial investment of USD 44 000, the new complementary energy solution has enabled the staff of FAO Djibouti office to diminish the reliance on the expensive electricity from the grid, therefore reducing their financial costs. Moreover, they can now benefit from some business continuity, which was previously being hindered by monthly power outages.

It is the first project completed by FAO without cooperation with other UN agencies and the first of this kind in the area. It already opened the doors to other three solar PV installation projects, in Ghana, Mauritania and Uganda, which are almost completed and will soon be inaugurated.