After several years of supporting the ESSOR project in Senegal, the Ecosolaris team returned to the field to assess the concrete impact of the initiative and see firsthand how solar energy has contributed to local development.
Funded by the Government of Quebec's International Climate Cooperation Program (ICCP) as part of the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy, and led by the NGO Mer et Monde in partnership with Green Sénégal, Ecosolaris, and local stakeholders, the project supported the communities of Ngaparou, Touba Toul, and Thiokole in Senegal's Thiès region. Through the implementation of three solar power systems, the initiative has helped strengthen organizations led by women and young people by providing clean, reliable energy for their agricultural production and food processing activities.
This final field visit offered an opportunity to observe the lasting effects of these installations on the daily lives and development of the communities. It also provided valuable time to meet with project beneficiaries, hear about their experiences, and gain a deeper understanding of the initiative's results and long-term impact.
Before exploring these findings, however, it is worth looking back at how the project began and the journey that has brought it to this point.
Electricity in Senegal
In many parts of Senegal, access to reliable electricity remains a challenge. Power outages are common, and the electricity supply is not always stable.
A significant share of the country's electricity is still generated from fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal. These resources are finite and contribute to CO₂ emissions and climate change.
As a result, the national power grid continues to rely heavily on these energy sources while undergoing gradual modernization. At the same time, electricity demand is growing rapidly, placing increasing pressure on the grid, particularly during periods of extreme heat. Routine maintenance work and technical limitations can also lead to service interruptions.
Together, these factors help explain why electricity supply remains inconsistent in certain regions of the country.
The Initial Situation
The instability of the electrical grid posed a very practical challenge for small businesses and community organizations: maintaining uninterrupted operations was difficult.
The three communities supported through the ESSOR project located in Ngaparou, Touba Toul, and Thiokole operated under these conditions. Led by women and young people, these organizations play an important role in their communities through agricultural production and the processing of local products.
Their activities focus primarily on millet, maize, and groundnuts, as well as the processing of cereals, fruits, and vegetables for local markets. These operations rely on electrically powered equipment to process, dry, grind, and package their products.
However, the electrical grid alone could not provide a consistent and reliable power supply. Whenever outages occurred, the equipment stopped immediately, bringing production to a halt.
These interruptions had direct consequences, including the loss of partially processed products, delays in fulfilling orders, and reduced production capacity. They also made work planning more difficult, as production schedules could no longer be organized with confidence around an unreliable electricity supply.
Ecosolaris as a Project Partner
Throughout the project, Ecosolaris served as the technical expert, overseeing the complete design, installation, and commissioning of the solar energy systems. The Ecosolaris team also played a key role in transferring technical knowledge to local stakeholders, ensuring they had the skills and understanding needed to operate, maintain, and manage the systems over the long term.
In addition, Ecosolaris provided ongoing technical support to monitor the quality and performance of the three solar installations, each designed to meet the specific needs of the beneficiary organizations and the realities of the local context.
The project was carried out over the course of three main site visits.
First Site Visit
The first site visit, which took place in 2024, focused on assessing the project sites, evaluating their solar potential, measuring the available space, and designing appropriately sized solar energy systems.
During this mission, the team met with several key stakeholders, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Québec Trade Office in Dakar, Senegal, and several Senegalese solar installers interested in becoming project partners.
The objective of this first phase was to establish strong technical partnerships, identify the project sites, confirm the communities' energy needs, and validate the implementation of stand-alone solar systems tailored to local conditions and the operational needs of the beneficiary organizations.
Second Site Visit
The second site visit, carried out in early 2025, allowed Ecosolaris experts to commission the solar energy systems installed at the Thiokole and Ngaparou sites by the project’s local team. This mission also provided an opportunity to verify the compliance of the installations, conduct performance tests, monitor the progress of the work, and continue technical discussions with partners working on the ground.
During this visit, the Ngaparou site also hosted an awareness-raising activity organized by our partner Mer et Monde. As part of this initiative, a group of engineering students from a Senegalese university was invited to visit the installations to learn more about the project, the operation of photovoltaic systems, and the benefits of solar energy in a community-based context.
The Touba Toul site, however, followed a different timeline. The installation of the solar system had to be postponed to allow for the construction of a gazebo designed to house the equipment. The installation was eventually completed later in 2025 by the local contractor, under the remote supervision of Ecosolaris. The Ecosolaris team then returned to the site during the final project visit in 2026 to confirm the installation’s compliance and verify its proper operation on-site.
Third Site Visit
The third and final site visit, carried out in January 2026, marked the official closing of the project during an event bringing together key stakeholders, including representatives from Canada, the Québec government, and several partners in Senegal. The event highlighted the importance of international collaboration in the success of the initiative.
Following this event, a final tour of the project sites was conducted to document the project’s outcomes, reconnect with local partners, observe how the organizations had evolved since the commissioning of the solar systems, assess their day-to-day use, and gain a deeper understanding of the economic, social, and human impacts generated by improved access to reliable energy.
Particular attention was also given to essential aspects such as battery management, energy production monitoring, solar panel cleaning, and the responsibilities of the technicians responsible for ensuring the long-term operation, reliability, and sustainability of the systems. Practical discussions also provided an opportunity to address users’ questions and reinforce best practices for system operation and maintenance.
The Results of a Collective Commitment
The final visit of the ESSOR project provided an opportunity to witness the tangible outcomes of several years of support provided to the communities of Ngaparou, Touba Toul, and Thiokole. The solar systems installed through the project are now meeting a critical need by providing a reliable and sustainable source of energy adapted to the realities of local organizations.
These infrastructures do more than simply provide electricity: they directly support local production chains, reduce losses caused by power interruptions, and enable better day-to-day work organization. Beneficiaries now have a tool that allows them to develop their activities under more stable and predictable conditions.
Beyond the energy component, the ESSOR project has also strengthened local capacities through knowledge transfer, training in the maintenance and management of the installations, and ongoing support for the technicians responsible for their operation and monitoring. The project has also contributed to promoting women’s leadership and youth engagement in the economic development and energy transition of their communities.
Ecosolaris is proud to have contributed to this impactful initiative for lasting change and to have placed its expertise at the service of the beneficiary communities. Seeing these installations now operating and witnessing their positive effects on local activities demonstrates the importance of investing in solutions that are appropriate, sustainable, and accessible.
This initiative shows that an approach based on international collaboration, local capacity building, and renewable energy can generate lasting impacts. More than an electrification project, ESSOR project leaves behind a legacy of knowledge, autonomy, and resilience that will continue to support the development of communities well beyond the project’s completion.
