Location and Requirements

Shompole lies on the edge of the Great Rift Valley overlooking sun-baked plains and riverine forest, great creased volcanic mountains and lush green wetlands. It is a creation of imagination and the product of a partnership with the Maasai people of that area. Constructed to emphasise the beauty of natural materials combined with flowing water and smooth white walls, the camp is truly an unusual and exquisite place.

Location: South-eastern Kenya on the Tanzanian border near soda Lakes Natron and Magadi. Located on the edge of the Nguruman Escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. 120km south of Nairobi on a 35,000 acre Conservancy, surrounded by 140,000 acres of Shompole Group Ranch which provides a dispersal area for wild-life and buffer zone. The camp is a joint-owned venture between a private safari company, Art of Ventures (AoV) and the members of the Maasai community of Shompole Group Ranch.

The community benefit from conservation fees and profit from their shares in the camp. The Conservancy area is home to many species of animals and bird life and includes one of the most ecologically diverse area in Africa with environments ranging from rainforest, through acacia woodland, grass plains, riverine forest, salt plains and soda lakes. There is an abundance of plains game and night animals frequently seen include aardwolf, civet, serval, leopard and striped hyena. Elephant, lion and cheetah are found in the swamp and grassy plains, while the bird life is varied and plentiful. All funds collected from Conservancy fees contribute to the maintenance and patrolling of the area and to projects that benefit the community as a whole; such as the establishment of schools, clinics and other self-sustaining businesses. The self-sustaining business concept is very important and this is why they contacted Kenital to provide them with an adequate long-term solution in line with their conservation efforts. The lodge requirements are the following:

75 Energy saving lights 

25 Fans

01 TVs, Videos and Satellite Dish

01 Fridge

02 Freezers

02 Swimming pool pumps

01 Computer

01 Printer

The camp is powered mostly by solar even during cloudy weather, for this reason even in this case a large battery bank was required. However a standby generator can provide useful backup in case of excess power requirements for loads such as ventilation fans and swimming pools.

System Configuration

24 H120 Watts Helios Solar Module

02 C60 Trace Charge Controllers

01 SW3024E Trace inverter

01 7360 Ah Rolls 4000 Solar Battery Bank

Accessories

  Clients Comments

We chose to install a comprehensive solar system in Shompole for several reasons.  We are keen to ensure that Shompole is as ecologically friendly as possible, while still being able to offer a high standard of service to our clients and, with consideration to our community partners, keep our maintenance and running costs as low as possible.  In this way, we have succeeded in amply supplying the camp with effective lighting, fans, the means to run computers and our communication system while ensuring that our energy "bills" will remain within reason over the next few years.

Being in the bush also means that one does not always have the expertise to hand if a generator breaks down.  We feel that replacing much of the traditional machinery with solar will mean that we don't have to deal with the problems of finding spare parts or the right people to fit them.  With back-up from Kenital, and regular services, we anticipate our solar system will last us a good long time!