35 villages electrify with solar energy in Madagascar

In 3 years, nearly 25,000 people have benefited from this rural electrification project. The project was carried out by the company Welight Madagascar, which relied heavily on solar energy.

In Madagascar, electricity is still a luxury for many households, especially in rural areas where the standard of living is low. On this Indian Ocean Island, Welight has been committed to electrifying villages for the past three years and to date, 35 Malagasy localities have benefited from small solar power plants supplying 25,000 households. The services offered by Welight also allow villages to benefit from public lighting, as well as the electrification of public services such as health centers, town halls, schools and police stations.

Working with Madagascar’s Axian Group, mini-grid provider Sagemcom, and investor Norfund, Welight aims to accelerate energy inclusion in this East African country to provide reliable and productive energy to people in remote rural areas. Access to electricity will promote job creation, sustainable development and, in turn, a significant improvement in people’s living conditions. According to Romain de Villeneuve, Welight’s Managing Director, the 35 mini solar power plants deployed are accompanied by a battery storage system and mini-networks to serve the local populations. In each connected household, a smart meter allows the user to prepay his energy directly through mobile money solutions.