

On November 22, 2023, the community solar plant was connected to the HPP system in Shatin village of Yeghegis consolidated community, Vayots Dzor region. Thanks to the operation of the 40 KW plant, the community will save around 3 million AMD annually, which will be used to alleviate human-wildlife conflict.
The station was installed within the framework of "Living Landscapes of Armenia for Market Development" (LILA) project implemented by WWF-Armenia, which is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The installation of the station was carried out by "Arpi Solar" LLC.
The regional director of the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency, Barbara Boni, arrived in Shatin to learn about the progress of the LILA project and participate in the opening of the station. "The South Caucasus has a great biodiversity, which is very important not only for Armenia, but also for the whole world. With this project, it is possible to improve people's living conditions and at the same time achieve nature conservation in a sustainable and unique way, in turn environmental sustainability will contribute to economic development,” Barbara Boni noted.
Ararat Grigoryan, Vayots Dzor Regional Head, noted that "with the installation of the station, Yeghegis community will have the opportunity to produce its own electricity, have additional savings, and will use the money it had to pay for electricity for the benefit of the community."
Karen Manvelyan, director of WWF Armenia said, "Along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to create a source of sustainable income for communities. Bear attacks on farmers' farms are a serious problem in Shatin. The annual loss varies between 5-6 million AMD. The money generated as a result of the operation of the solar plant will be used to compensate for these damages or implement mitigation measures."
As part of the project, an insurance fund will also be established in the community to compensate the damages caused to the residents of the community. The activities of the fund will be coordinated by the "Yegheg" community social-environmental NGO, which signed a long-term agreement with WWF-Armenia and Yeghegis community within the framework of “Promotion of Eco-Corridors in the Southern Caucasus" regional project. "The purpose of the insurance fund is to calculate and compensate the damages caused to the economy of the beneficiary residents,” said Gegham Margaryan, Head of Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Vayots Dzor Region.
It should be noted that in addition to the stationary station, the community also received 5 mobile hybrid solar stations with a capacity of 2 kilowatts as part of the project, which will be used in the community and remote pastures as needed.
Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia (LILA) is a 7-year project aimed at preserving the livelihoods of the rural population of Armenia through protection and sustainable use of natural resources in mountainous ecosystems of Armenia. The project is funded by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Caucasus and Armenian offices in collaboration with Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO.
November 24, 2023 at 14:55