Engineering giant ABB and wind energy firm Vestas have joined forces to improve electricity access in off-grid areas in Africa.

Under the agreement, Vestas’ wind turbines will be combined with ABB’s microgrid power solutions to create hybrid generation systems that can operate in remote locations with limited infrastructure, the firms said.

The project is part of Vestas’ Wind for Prosperity initiative, designed to bring affordable and stable wind-generated electricity systems to rural populations in developing nations.

Morten Albæk, Vestas Group Senior Vice President said: “The agreement we announced unites each company’s technological expertise to create a combined solution for exactly the type of off-grid and micro-grid wind-diesel hybrid power generation systems that we envision for Wind for Prosperity.”

The initiative is expected to supply electricity at significantly lower cost than diesel-only power production.