Malawi Installs First Utility-Scale Battery Energy Storage System to Store Solar Power
Lilongwe, Malawi—Malawi has commissioned the country’s first utility-scale battery energy storage facility, a landmark project designed to capture surplus solar power and stabilize the nation’s crisis-prone power grid.
The new 20 MW/40 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), located at the Kanengo Substation in Lilongwe, was developed by the state-owned electricity company ESCOM and funded by a $20.245 million grant from the “Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet” (GEAPP). The project marks a significant milestone in the development of renewable energy grid integration in Southern Africa.
Malawi’s power system has long relied heavily on hydropower, which accounts for about two-thirds of the country’s total electricity generation. Changes in rainfall patterns and extreme weather events caused by climate change have repeatedly led to reduced river flows, which in turn have cut hydropower generation and triggered widespread rolling blackouts. Although the country’s solar power capacity has been steadily expanding, the intermittent nature of solar power—coupled with a lack of energy storage infrastructure—has limited the amount of solar power the grid can safely absorb.
The battery plant operates by storing excess solar power generated during the day. When electricity demand spikes at night or renewable energy production declines, the stored electricity is fed back into the grid.
If you are interested in us, please feel free to contact us.
