Maldives launches solar hybrid power systems across 25 islands

The government has inaugurated 6.4 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) hybrid electricity systems across 25 islands in Raa and Baa atolls under the Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development (POISED) project.

The project is being implemented in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The inauguration ceremony was held on Monday in R. Kinolhas.

According to the government, the project aims to strengthen energy security, reduce reliance on imported diesel and increase the use of renewable energy.

The POISED programme seeks to convert diesel-based electricity systems on 160 inhabited islands into solar PV hybrid power systems.

Before the latest phase, hybrid systems had been completed on 72 islands.

Those installations provide a combined solar PV capacity of 13.4 megawatt-peak (MWp), supported by 10.6 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery energy storage. The programme has also included the installation of energy management systems, upgrades to electricity distribution networks and the provision of 27MW of diesel generation capacity for backup power.

The newly commissioned systems across the 25 islands provide a combined solar PV capacity of 6.36MWp and 10MWh of battery energy storage.

According to the government, the installations are expected to:

With the completion of the latest phase, solar hybrid systems have now been installed on 97 islands under the POISED project.

The programme currently has a combined installed capacity of 19.8MW of solar PV and 20.6MWh of battery storage. Work is underway on a further 23 islands and is expected to be completed next year.

The government has set a target of meeting 33 per cent of the Maldives' electricity demand from renewable energy sources by the end of 2028.