A 35MWh solar-plus-storage project has been commissioned and connected to Sierra Leone's national grid using eight Sungrow PowerTitan Series ESS units. The RESPITE project used black start and off-grid operation during commissioning, while the World Bank estimates that full operation could increase national electricity access from 16% to 36%.
Snapshot
Project - The RESPITE Solar-plus-Storage Project has been commissioned.
Storage capacity - The project provides 35MWh of energy storage.
ESS deployment - Eight Sungrow PowerTitan Series units were integrated.
Grid connection - The facility is connected to Sierra Leone's national grid.
Commissioning method - Black start enabled off-grid commissioning.
Grid context - The national grid uses one 161kV transmission line.
Access estimate - Electricity access could increase from 16% to 36%.
Sungrow, a China-based solar inverter and energy storage equipment manufacturer, has commissioned the RESPITE Solar-plus-Storage Project in Sierra Leone. The grid-connected development includes 35MWh of energy storage and eight units from the company's PowerTitan Series ESS. Sungrow described it as Sierra Leone's first major national-scale power generation project commissioned in nearly a decade.
The project has entered service within a national grid that relies on a single 161kV transmission line with a capacity of 70MW. That line connects the Bumbuna Hydropower Plant with the distribution network serving Freetown. Sierra Leone has approximately 172,000 electricity users, with 90% concentrated in the capital. Only 5 of the country's 16 regional capitals receive partial electricity from diesel generators and hydropower facilities.
The World Bank-backed project was developed amid weak grid conditions, limited electricity affordability and difficulties attracting commercial financing. The World Bank estimates that, once fully operational, the facility could increase Sierra Leone's national electricity access rate from 16% to 36%. The expected supply would serve households, schools, healthcare facilities and commercial and industrial users.
Daily power outages of up to 18 hours affected the commissioning environment. Sungrow used the PowerTitan system's black start and independent off-grid capabilities to change the commissioning process from grid-connected operation to an off-grid configuration. In black start mode, the system can establish a microgrid without external grid support and use solar generation to supply onsite loads during commissioning.
The PowerTitan Series uses an integrated, modular and pre-installed design that allows commissioning work to be completed before delivery. Sungrow stated that this approach reduced onsite construction time by 50%. Its multi-regional technical support network was also structured to assess technical issues within two hours, supported by emergency procedures and a spare-parts network.
The completed power station has created nearly 100 local employment opportunities. Sungrow also reported that the project had increased household incomes and generated wider economic and social benefits for the surrounding community.