New hope for a vulnerable island
By facilitating the construction and operation of Mauritius‘ first large scale solar power plant, this project saves carbon emissions and improves the local population‘s supply with renewable energy. More than 80 percent of the island‘s electricity is generated from imported coal and heavy fuel oil, which causes massive carbon emissions. Mauritius‘ energy consumption is rapidly increasing and the usual way of meeting the demand would be to add capacities of fossil fuel-fired plants. Thanks to carbon finance, a local enterprise was able to build a 15 MW solar power plant. The plant produces an average of 22,648 MWh per year, which is fed into the national grid. This supplies 35,000 local residents with renewable energy and accounts for 2% of Mauritius‘ electricity production.
As a small island state, Mauritius is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, like heavy storms, floods or droughts, which are challenging its socio-economic development. By reducing the amount of emissions from fossil fuel-based electricity generation and promoting renewable energies in the region, the project contributes to climate change mitigation.
Although the development of renewable energy sources is increasing, energy from fossil fuels is still a significant part of energy production worldwide. This is associated with the release of large amounts of carbon emissions. The use of solar energy is a good way to provide people around the world with renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Solar installations, implemented through solar projects, convert sunlight into electricity (photovoltaic) or heat (solar thermal). Even when the sky is cloudy, the solar thermal power plants generate heat and convert it into electricity. Photovoltaic projects use the photoelectric effect to convert sunlight into electricity.
The energy produced is typically fed into the national or regional power grid, reducing the share of fossil fuels in the electricity mix. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, solar projects also prevent the release of various pollutants associated with conventional power generation. Solar energy projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.
TypeReduction
LocationMauritius, Bambous
StandardVCS
TechnologySolar energy
Registry ID1483
Verified byApplus+ LGAI Technological Center, S.A
Validated byCarbon Check (Pty) Ltd.
Estimated annual emission reductions22,220 t CO₂
Four criteria for projects to meet quality thresholds
The life cycle of a climate project
A climate project has a set life cycle consisting of various phases, from the feasibility assessment to the retirement of Verified Emission Reductions (VERs).The project developer reviews the general feasibility of the project, the project design, and the financing. Then, the Project Design Document (PDD) is prepared, which contains all the basic information about the project, such as the objective, location, timeline, and duration.
In this phase, independent auditors examine the PDD and the information it contains. This phase often also involves field visits with on-side interviews and analyses. Auditors are accredited, impartial assessors who have to be approved by the relevant standard as a validation and verification body (VVB). TÜV Nord/Süd, S&A Carbon LLC., and SCS Global Services are examples of VVBs."
Once validated, the project can be registered with a standard such as the Verified Carbon Standard or the Gold Standard. All high-quality climate projects are based on international standards. They provide the framework for project design, construction, carbon accounting, and monitoring. Recognised standards make the climate project system and the projects themselves resilient, traceable, and credible.
After the climate project has been registered, the monitoring begins. Here, the project developers monitor and document the data of the project activities and progress. The duration of the monitoring phase varies from project to project: it can cover two years, but documentation over five or seven years is also possible.
At the end of each monitoring phase, a VVB checks and assesses whether the values and project activities stated in the monitoring report are correct. As with validation, visits to the project site are often part of the verification process.
Once verified, the emission reductions that were confirmed in the verification phase can be issued as VERs. The steps of monitoring, verification, and issuance of VERs are repeated regularly and are therefore considered as a cycle.
Once a VER has been used, it must be retired. This process is also reflected in the registry. If the financing of a climate project is done through ClimatePartner, the VERs are bundled in a system certified by TÜV Austria and then retired on a regular basis. This ensures that each VER can no longer be sold and is only used once, preventing double counting.
Explore our projects
Enabling women in at-risk communities to make the transition to clean energy
Expansion of renewable energy generation in Asia
Ceramic water filters save CO2 and improve health
Improved cookstoves worldwide – for better health and cleaner air
A certified climate project combined with additional commitment
Powering access to green energy in Africa
Turning degraded farmlands into healthy ecosystems
Improved cookstoves - better for health and the environment