New Hybrid Energy Power System at the Majlis Hotel in Lamu, Kenya

As consumers demand more eco-friendly vacation choices, The Majlis Hotel in Lamu is responding with energy-efficient and carbon friendly solutions. Located on Manda island (Lamu archipelago) with no public power supply, the Majlis has been relying on its generators to produce electricity for the resort.

In line with the environmental policy of the hotel and the objective to reduce carbon emissions below 30%, and eventually to zero, The Majlis has decided to reduce its dependence on gasoline and to invest in alternative energy sources and energy efficient products, such as low consumption light bulbs.

The hotel is now runningon an "hybrid energy power system" based on generators, solar and wind energy. The 14 kVA (14,000 Volt-Amperes) solar panel system runs during the day and enables the resort to reduce its emission of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming.The 6 kVA wind turbine system works 24 hours a day and contributes to the overall energy reductions of the resort. An additional 12kVA hybrid system is expected to be installed by the Majlis Hotel in early august 2011.





The major advantage of solar / wind hybrid system is that when solar and wind power production are used together, the reliability of the system is enhanced as the sun and the wind resources have opposite cycles and intensities during the same day or in some seasons. Additionally, the size of battery storage can be reduced slightly as there is less reliance on one method of power production.

"The operational changes we've made along with the new solar and wind array will lessen the environmental impact of the hotel," said Mr.Stefano Moccia, Managing Director of the Majlis Hotel in Lamu. "We are proud to be the first hotel in Kenya to run an hybrid energy power system and to increasingly offer an environmentally-sustainable experience to our guests, our employees and the community."

The Majlis Photography Competition 2011

Amateur photographers around the world are invited to enter the first annual photography competition held by The Majlis Resort, with the prospect of having their works displayed in some of the world’s finest galleries.

For 2011, the competition asks entrants to interpret ‘A Celebration of Swahili Culture’ through a photography portfolio that can include all styles of printing including black and white, sepia and colour in portrait or landscape.

The history and traditions of Swahili people is a subject that the organizer, The Majlis Resort, holds close to its heart. A boutique hotel situated in an idyllic setting in Lamu, off the coast of Kenya, The Majlis is committed to sustaining and preserving the unique blend of African, Arabic and European culture that makes up Swahili (which literally translates to ‘of the coast’).

In addition to having their photography featured in galleries in Nairobi, Dubai, Milan and London, the winner will also receive a week’s full-board holiday to the desert island setting of The Majlis Resort in Kenya. The boutique hotel will also exhibit the portfolios of the top three entrants in The Majlis’ beautiful Terrace Bar over the hotel’s busy Christmas period.

Submitted portfolios should consist of between five and ten photographs, which should be uploaded directly to The Majlis Photography Competition website at http://www.themajlisresorts.com/photography-competition.php by 31st November 2011.

Winners will be judged on their full portfolio and not individual submissions, and will be subject to a six-part criteria: interpretation, aesthetic, visual impact, technical proficiency, originality and composition.

Entrants will be first published on The Majlis website where the public will provide the majority of the judgment to provide the professional judging panel with a select few that they deem the best. The judges, including representatives from the featured international galleries and professional photographer Charles Grieves Cook, will then cast the final vote to announce the top three winners.

Notes to the editor

Competition details

Competition dates: April – November 2011
Competition theme: ‘A celebration of Swahili culture’
The judging panel:    
    Public vote from website (with a weighting of 70%)
    Several professional photographers
Representatives from art galleries
The Majlis management
East African Treasures, Nairobi, Kenya
Graphic Alliance, a London-based digital agency
Prizes:    Exhibit of winner’s portfolio in art galleries in Nairobi, Dubai, Milan and London
    One week’s full-board holiday at The Majlis Resort, Lamu
    Exhibition of the top three entries at The Majlis Terrace Bar over the Christmas period
Regulations:    Professional photographers are excluded from entry.
    Participants must submit a portfolio of between five and ten photographs.
    Photographs may be in sepia, black & white and color