Sustainable Energy Services Afghanistan (SESA)

Kabul Streets Open to Night

On December 29, 2010, Kabul Mayor Muhammad Yunus Nawandish, U.S. Army Col. Thomas Magness, U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry’s wife, Ching Eikenberry, and SESA staff inaugurated the Kabul Solar Streetlight Project in the presence of local and international media, as well as eager Kabul residents. The project is part of Mayor Nawandish’s “Open Kabul’s Streets to the Night” initiative aimed at boosting economic development in downtown Kabul.

The solar streetlight project is composed of 28 stand-alone solar street light units that use state-of-the-art light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. The very modern, high-intensity LED lamps emit 3,500 lumens, starting automatically at sunset and turning off at sunrise. Other features of the project include 300 AH AGM lead acid batteries and 135-watt solar PV panels. The installation used 6-milimeter thick galvanized steel poles with a diamter of 125 mm and height of nine meters.

The light units were designed specifically with very dry, dusty and arid conditions in mind. All the fittings are weather- and insect-proof, designed for years of trouble-free operation. The complete system also includes a two-year warranty from the date of commissioning.

Another critical and important component of the project is the training of Kabul Municipal Authorities in the operation and maintenance of the streetlights. SESA will provide this training at its compound.

This is only Phase 1 of the “Open Kabul’s Streets to the Night” initiative, which covers 0.88 kilometers of Jumhoriat Road from the Jumhoriat National Specialized Hospital to the Sherpoor traffic circle. Two more phases were announced during the inauguration, which will include 2.05 kilometers along the Foreign Affairs Road and 2.35 kilometers along the Wazir Akbar Khan Road. Both phases are expected to be completed in 2012.