Pilot Minigrid Project

OnePower Lesotho PTY LTD is partnering with the Lesotho government's Appropriate Technology Services (ATS) and Rural Electrification Unit (REU) as well as the National University of Lesotho (NUL) to pioneer Pay as You Go (PAYG) solar minigrids in Lesotho through a pilot at Ha Makebe in the Berea district, using prepaid smart meters to distribute mains AC power to customers including households and schools.

OnePower's innovative approach includes locally manufactured tracking frames to boost the output of the PV array and reduce the cost of optimized generation infrastructure, built and designed in Lesotho using proprietary engineering tools and electricity consumption datasets developed by STG International. The results of the pilot will support commercially financed expansion to the larger Ha Makebe community and to an additional 24 identified communities with minigrid potential in the Lesotho highlands.