00:01It's not much to look at, but this is a giant power bank in Lilongwe, Malawi that's helping tackle blackouts.
00:10The country's demand for electricity has grown faster than its ability to generate and deliver power.
00:16For local welder, Hotani Uda, power cuts can mean lost income.
00:20It's a big deal. It's a big deal. It's a big deal.
00:35Businesses in Malawi experience an average of more than seven power cuts a month, each lasting around four hours.
00:44For Uda, running a generator can cost far more than using electricity from the grid.
00:51I asked if I could both go and discuss something.
00:57I only have a few hours of the city.
00:58When I saw a generator, I found a property.
01:00And I was thinking that I have a property.
01:04In order to buy a power, I found my property.
01:09I found that there were many options in the system that I went to.
01:23So, how can a giant battery help?
01:27Augustin Nyirenda, an engineer with Malabi's electricity utility, explains how it works.
01:34So basically this is like a huge power bank which is storing energy and then later on
01:41discharging into the system when the system requires it.
01:46The system also helps engineers monitor the grid and respond when something goes wrong.
01:53The thing is if the grid means it's available, the power is there, the alarm or you get the
02:01red light when there's any issue here.
02:04So the alarm will come and then you come and check what's happening.
02:08Malabi still relies heavily on hydropower, but solar energy is expanding.
02:14Battery storage helps the grid make better use of that growing solar capacity.
02:19Because of the solar penetration on the grid, there will be times when there's a cloud cover
02:25or some images has occurred, so the frequency will tend to dip.
02:28So the battery is meant to provide quick response.
02:32As I said, it can respond within 200 milliseconds and inject that 20 megawatt, 50 megawatt, whatever
02:39is required to support the frequency.
02:41The battery charges when demand is low or solar power is high and it releases the energy when
02:47needed.
02:48We have seen the benefit already.
02:50The past month and a half, we are dispatching during the evening peaks 10 to 12 megawatt for
02:55three hours, two and a half hours.
02:56That is reducing the magnitude as well as the duration of the load shedding.
03:01Malawi's $20 million project is funded by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.
03:07Battery storage was once expensive.
03:09But as energy specialist Sosten Jigalu explains, falling raw material costs, advances in technology,
03:17and growing competition have driven prices down.
03:21The battery energy storage breakthrough has an impact at Malawi, at Southern Africa and at
03:30the continent as large.
03:31The battery energy costs have reduced more than tenfold in the past five, seven years.
03:40The battery that was costing $1,000 now is costing less than $100.
03:46Despite the falling costs, large scale battery systems still require major investments and
03:52remain rare across Africa.
03:54They can reduce the need for diesel generators and help make better use of renewable energy.
03:59Energy entrepreneur Edgar Capizabayani explains how this could help the climate.
04:05From a climate perspective wise, it means that over 10,000 tons of CO2 emissions will be avoided
04:13just because we are utilizing this base.
04:16And if we look at it in a long term, what it means it's climate change wise as a country,
04:28we will continue
04:29having a lot of renewable energies into the energy mix.
04:33With 74% of Malawians lacking electricity, renewable energy could help close the gap.
04:40As at now in Africa, 600 million people, over half a billion, don't have access to clean electricity.
04:47I mean, that's huge.
04:49So, so far, studies have proven that, you know, most of these can be better connected
04:56if renewable energy, especially decentralized renewable energy technologies are deployed,
05:02especially in those remote corners of Africa.
05:04So, yeah, it's the future.
05:06For workers like Uhotani Yuda, reliable electricity means fewer interruptions and a chance to grow their business.
05:15The government's movement is the future.
05:17For workers like Uhotani Yuda, ÅŸ at the ship, they can grow their business.
05:23For workers like Uhotani Yuda, they can grow their business.
05:27For workers like Uhotani Yuda, they can grow their business.
05:36They can grow their business.
05:43As Malawi's demand for electricity grows, the giant battery in Rilongwe could help bring more renewable energy onto the grid.
05:52It could also offer a model for other African countries facing similar power challenges.
