Off-Grid in Zimbabwe

SOMO was approached by one of the ground staff members from a school in Melkbosstrand. This customer was looking for advice / assistance in supplying his household in Zimbabwe with power. His requirements were minimal; powering only a few lights and a TV. SOMO designed a custom off grid system for this customer. There were other challenges to be accounted for, one being transport, this customer was going to make use of public transport to get from Cape Town to Zimbabwe. The equipment had to be as small and as light as possible to avoid additional charges and potential damage being caused during transport.

SOMO designed a system to have full autonomy, making use of 12VDC lighting and a 220VAC inverter to supply power to their TV. A 260 watt PV panel was supplied to charge the 100Ah deep cycle battery, this was managed by a PWM controller. We kept the cost to under R3700 for all equipment excluding the PV panel. SOMO had put together an Off-Grid electrical installation for use in unelectrified households with a total project cost of less than R6000.

This may have been one of the smaller projects SOMO has completed but it is one of the most inspiring and relevant projects in confirming our direction we wish to take the company.