AVIC International gifts Shiphrah orphanage six solar panels

Shiphrah Centre in Mutuini Ward, Dagoretti South constituency in Nairobi have a reason to smile after being provided for Solar Panels.

The home which holds 60 orphans received a donation of solar panels from AVIC International Holding Corporation, the contractor of the 42 floor Global Trade Centre (GTC) Office Tower in Westlands.

They also received six solar panels, an inverter charger, and four maintenance-free lead acid batteries were installed to complement the electricity used by the centre.

The system will power electronics such as televisions and fridges and lighting points such as in-house lamps and security lights.

If solar radiation is low and the battery charge level is low, grid power (KPLC) will kick in momentarily to support the load.

Martha Munene, who runs the centre, said it houses elders, children with disabilities abandoned by their families, and orphans.

She said that solar power would help cut down the expenses of electricity which have gone up in recent months.

“You can imagine such a home with no electricity. You have installed solar power for us and I want to thank God. I was almost getting high blood pressure because of the tokens,” she said.

Ma Chengyuan, chief representative of AVIC International Holding Corporation in Kenya said the installed solar photovoltaic system would provide renewable energy to Shiphrah Centre and help the centre save about Sh20,000 which would have ordinarily gone to settling the electricity bills.

He said the solar panel was part of the company's activities in the country. Others include the construction and equipping of schools in Gatundu and Nairobi and the fight against drought.

“We know that electricity has become too expensive for you so we asked our partner to help you install the solar panel. After the installation, every month you can save at least Sh20000,” he said.

Mutuini MCA Martin Mbugua said that some of the children were brought to the centre when they were a day old, and therefore the home required a consistent electricity supply.

“We have children who come here with special needs and even for security we can't afford to have this home without electricity,” he said.

He added that the cost of electricity had become prohibitive and rescue centres that rely on well-wishers and donations felt the impact more.

The installed solar array has a total capacity of 1,710Wp and will generate about 230kWh units of energy per month. The battery bank with a total capacity of 400Ah stores the energy generated during the day for use at night.