By Aruna Turay
Africell over the weekend launched its Klin Energy project in Freetown.
Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director of Africell Sierra Leone, Shadi Gerjawi expressed how proud he was to be part of the launch of the “Klin Energy” Project.
He said they decided on naming this new initiative “Klin Energy because climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our planet today, and we need to actively look for solutions that will preserve our planet not only for us but for the future generation.
“Whilst this is a collective responsibility, we have taken the lead to be the first to invest and implement renewable energy solutions in our operations. This will effectively mean our company will progressively transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy”. Shadi said.
He said Africell offices have been powered by solar energy for over 6 months – uninterrupted, reliable, clean, and sustainable. “Above and just across from where we are currently seated, we have a total of 527 solar panels, each producing 437W, 3 inverters of 60 KW capacity each, producing 344,668 kWh of energy every year. What this means in environmental impact terms is that our carbon footprint is significantly reduced by up to 227, 668kg of CO2 yearly, saving approximately 9000 trees every single year,” he said, whiles also announcing that they have also progressively converted energy solutions in some of their sites as part of this transformative initiative.
The Africell MD said with 82 sites already transitioned to Hybrid, they have potentially reduced cO2 emissions by 500 tons, which translates to 20,000 further trees saved annually.
He added saying: “Our work does not only focus on powering our buildings and sites, but we have also gone one step further by introducing the first-ever fleet of electrical sales conveyances. These kekes driven by our team of female riders are powered by electricity charged through a dedicated solar charging station”.
He said each sale keke reaches full power within 6 hours and can operate for up to 12 hours without the need to recharge, adding that their aim is to have charging stations in various locations as the fleet increases.
He said Africell’s 2023 commitment is that a further 203 sites will be converted to hybrid energy, reducing
our reliance on fuel and contributing to cleaner cities, healthier communities, sustainable energy and financial savings to our business in the long run.
“This said, our solar initiative is about more than just saving money. It is also about making a commitment to complementing and achieving one of UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goals-Affordable and Clean Energy. UNDP has championed initiatives such as ours and together we will also be looking at energy-sharing solutions as part of “Klin Energy; our office sharing what energy we generate with our neighbors.
We understand that transitioning to clean energy will not be easy, and it will require the efforts of businesses, governments, and individuals at home and around the world. But we are confident that by working together, we can create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future for all of us”.
Shadi informed that in 2022, Africell saved 9000 trees and that this year, with the roll-out of more hybrid, and solar-powered sites the Company will save around 50,000 trees by preventing the emission of approximately 1250 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
