Project to create a source of drinking water using sunlight in the locality of Siliko, commune of Adjohoun

Benin is a West African country with a population of around 12 million. According to WHO data, by 2021, around 69% of Benin's population had access to an improved drinking water source. In rural areas, where nearly 53% of the population lives according to UNDP 2022, many people still rely on unprotected water sources such as wells or rivers, exposing populations to the risk of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, Buruli ulcer and typhoid.... In such a context, the implementation of appropriate strategies to solve this problem is of the utmost importance. But generally speaking, easy access to drinking water depends on electricity.

But what source of energy should be used to supply water to these rural areas?

Unlike urban areas, where 64.9% of the population has access to electricity, only 10.4% of the rural population has this privilege. At the same time, most of us have sufficient renewable energy sources, particularly solar power, to remedy this situation. In the most remote areas, inaccessible to the conventional grid, we can produce electricity using sunlight, which is just waiting to be put to good use. So setting up a drinking water supply system using sunlight will meet this need in the village of Siliko.

The solar water supply system uses solar panels to power a pump that extracts water from the well. Solar energy is converted into electricity to run the pump, without the need for a battery. The pump's output varies according to solar exposure, peaking around midday. Water is stored in an elevated reservoir during the day to ensure a continuous supply of water 24 hours a day, without the need for costly energy storage.