Kwita Wije
Solar energy, storage and agrivoltaic greenhouses
Kwita Wije is a solar plant developed by Akuo that is located in Bouloupari commune in the South Province of New Caledonia. The plant has three components: a ground-based solar energy production component (6MWc), a 3 MW / 3 MWh storage component and an agricultural component with an agrivoltaic greenhouse enabling vegetables to be grown, thus helping to reduce New Caledonia’s reliance on primary supply imports.
The third solar plant opened by Akuo in New Caledonia, Kwita Wije is helping the region meet its energy mix targets and its 2030 100% renewable energy goal (Source: DIMENC, Agence Calédonienne de L’Énergie, 2019).
The plant was partly financed by Caisse d’Epargne Île-de-France, Banque de Nouvelle-Calédonie, the Akuo Carbon Fund and an AkuoCoop fundraising campaign.
With an average of two cyclones a year hitting the region, the cyclone-proof photovoltaic greenhouses enable the crops to be protected in bad weather and vegetable production to be constantly maintained.
Our CSR commitments
Innovative technology benefiting the power grid
Lastly, the putting in place of the plant’s electricity storage component, something that is still underdeveloped on the island, guarantees a more stable public grid and enables renewable electricity to be supplied during the peak consumption period between 6 and 8 pm in the evening.
Creation of sustainable farming jobs
Safeguarding agricultural production thanks to greenhouses also ensures job stability for the site’s farmers.
Governance shared with two local GDPLs
Kwita Wije includes a social and agricultural component, with the construction of a cyclone-proof photovoltaic agricultural greenhouse that will be run by two local customary tribes, the Wiwa and Wije GDPLs (corporate entities that allow clans to reclaim customary areas).
The inclusion of these two communities in the project-company shareholding structure is a first in terms of social integration, and will enable these two clans to reap the economic benefits throughout the plant’s life cycle.
