Excitement filled Lukenya Schools in Athi River as the institution commissioned a new solar power project aimed at reducing its dependence on the national electricity grid, cutting energy costs and ensuring reliable power for learning and boarding operations.

The solar project, installed by Safer Power Limited, comprises a 40.92 kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) system, a 40 kW AC hybrid inverter system and an 80 kWh Energy Storage System (ESS). 

The system is expected to offset a significant portion of the school's daytime electricity consumption while providing battery-backed power during outages.

Speaking during the commissioning, Lukenya Schools Director Mutheu Kasanga said the institution hoped to eventually move completely off the grid.

“Today we have commissioned a solar plant and hope to move completely out of the grid,” Kasanga said.

She said the school had experienced significant challenges with unreliable grid power, particularly because of its location in a rural setting.

“Some of the challenges we have had with the grid being a rural school are quite significant. It takes a lot to resolve some of the issues, and we have had to invest in the past in a backup system when we have grid failure,” she said.

As a boarding institution, Kasanga said Lukenya Schools requires electricity around the clock, making reliability a critical consideration.

“We are a boarding school, we have day and night consumption of power and we wanted a reliable source of energy that is in our control,” she said.

She cited vandalism of transmission infrastructure, including power lines and transformers, as among the disruptions that had forced the school to rely on alternative sources such as generators.

The impact of power interruptions, she explained, went beyond lighting classrooms and dormitories. The school's food storage and cooling systems also depend heavily on electricity.

“Our institution has so many processes that rely on electricity, from cooling machines to storage machines for food,” Kasanga said.

The new solar system, she added, would make it easier for the school to plan its expenditure and avoid unexpected energy costs.

“For us, having this system resolves a lot of things. Not only do we get to plan expenditure and pay bills on time, but we are also headed towards the rainy season and were getting worried.”

Kasanga said power outages during rainy weather had been a particular concern, especially as the school entered the examination season.

“We are now assured that we will have power throughout, and we also know that food will not be consumed outside programme when we have extended outages. Our freezers will be running,” she said.

She recalled that during prolonged outages, the school sometimes had to use food earlier than planned to prevent it from spoiling.

“When you had extended outages, we would go to the freezers and give students [food] that was meant for another time to avoid it from going bad,” she said.

The solar investment is also expected to bring financial benefits to the institution at a time when the cost of living and operating expenses continue to rise.

“In Kenya today, the cost of living has gone up, and for us to have one thing that is stable and reliable is a saving in itself,” Kasanga said.

She said uncertainty over electricity bills had made budgeting difficult, adding that savings from the solar system would be channelled back into the school.

“We never knew when there would be an increase in electricity even as we budgeted. We will be saving a lot of money, which goes back to reinvestment in the school,” she said.

Kasanga said the ultimate beneficiaries would be the learners, as savings would allow the institution to invest more in their learning environment.

“Children are the greatest beneficiaries. We will improve their learning spaces. For us, the investment will pay off,” she said.

She added that the school's new energy system came with long-term battery guarantees.

“Today we are our own source of power, with guarantees of 15 years on batteries,” she said.

Safer Power Group CEO Dalmus Mbai said the Lukenya project represents more than an investment in renewable energy. He said it demonstrates how African institutions can begin addressing some of the continent's persistent energy challenges.

“When we are commissioning some of these projects, I focus on excellence of Africa. Potential of Africa-what does it mean to learners?” Mbai said.

He argued that many of the challenges facing the continent are linked, directly or indirectly, to inadequate or unreliable access to electricity.

“When you look at the problems facing Africa, 90 per cent of those are related to power,” he said.

Mbai pointed to healthcare, manufacturing and food storage as sectors that are particularly vulnerable when electricity is unreliable or expensive.

“If it is healthcare, hospitals are not able to store medicine. In manufacturing, factories do not have enough power. Power is too expensive,” he said.

At the same time, he noted that Africa has abundant solar resources that provide an opportunity to address the challenge.

“Africa has the highest number of sun hours from January to December. Why are we not able to tap into that potential? It has to start somewhere,” Mbai said.

He challenged the students at Lukenya Schools to view the project as part of a broader lesson about Africa's energy future.

“Lukenya students, remember you are being prepared to tap into this potential that is in Africa,” he said.

Mbai added that young people would need the right guidance and knowledge to make use of the continent's renewable energy potential.

“We just need to guide the students and show them the right way,” he said.

Lukenya Schools founder Kasanga Mulwea said the commissioning marked a particularly significant milestone in the institution's history.

“Today I am the luckiest person. We have switched from one system to another,” Mulwea said.

She recalled the challenges she faced when the school was being established more than three decades ago, including the high cost of extending electricity infrastructure to the institution.

“Thirty-four years ago, the troubles we had, I had to pay commercial rates to get power from the road to here,” she said.

Mulwea said the cost of securing power infrastructure in the past had been substantially higher than the investment in the new solar project.

“I paid many millions more than what I have paid today for Safer Power,” she said.

With its solar panels, hybrid inverter and substantial battery storage now in operation, the school expects to have greater control over its energy supply while redirecting savings towards its core mission.