Serena Hotels and Mettle Solar OFGEN have opened Kenya’s first Fully Solar Powered Lodge.
Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge, situated in Tsavo West National Park, has implemented a fully-fledged solar powered energy plant in its quest to enhance environmental sustainability and meet its power requirements.
The solar-powered energy plant is installed under a lease arrangement and produces 307kWp utilizing SMA Solar off-grid technology with 670kWh of usable lead-acid battery storage, with the ability to supply Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge’s total energy requirements during normal climate.
During adverse weather, additional energy needs are met using synchronized diesel generators that have been previously the primary way to obtain energy prior to the commissioning of the solar plant in July 2017.
“That is among our first projects in the hospitality industry. This is a big win for Kenya to acquire a ground-breaking project such as this, and running up,” said Francois Van Themaat, Managing Director, Mettle Solar OFGEN.
“This took us time, energy and a lot of effort from researchers, engineers, suppliers and the federal government of Kenya,” he added.
In October 2018, Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge won a Special Award for “Extraordinary Business CSR&rdquo and Case at the State Global Best Practice Awards 2018 ceremony in Milan, Italy.
The lodge won the award for using eco-friendly practices to provide professional textile care through sustainable and energy conserving laundry services due to the SOLAR POWERED ENERGY Plant.
“The ongoing company continues to spotlight innovative programs that react to the requirements of the surroundings, communities and economy within which it operates – the essential tenets of Sustainability,” said Mahmud Jan Mohamed, Managing Director, Serena Hotels.
“The demand from eco-travellers keeps growing and Serena is continuing to adapt its business guidelines model to meet up the ecological travel experiences and expectations of today’s guest.
“The hotel sector is energy-intensive and despite being proudly located in the park remotely; we’ve successfully been able to work with a clean-renewable way to obtain energy to totally run the lodge operations.”
The off-grid solar system by Mettle Solar OFGEN has been implemented in two properties; Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge which has the 1st Tesla Inverter/Battery System in Kenya and the biggest battery system in East Africa, while Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge’s solar plant is regarded as Kenya’s largest PHOTOVOLTAIC System on tracker.
