Solar key to easing Burundi’s severe energy crisis
Burundi, the poorest country on earth, is unable to buy fossil fuels on theinternational market due to a lack of hard currency. pv magazine spoke with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a PV analyst to assess the true potential of PV in the nation’s current energy crisis.
Irena gives latest update on stark chances of electricity access for all by 2030
The International Renewable Energy Agency’s latest annual report on the progress towards UN sustainable development goal seven estimates 670 million people will still lack electricity in 2030, and more than 2 billion will be reliant on unhealthy, polluting cooking methods.
Burundi’s first solar park comes online
Under development since 2015, the 7.5 MW solar plant was built thanks to the efforts of multiple international entities including the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the U.K. government-funded Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP).
A wave of big African solar is set to break
The Africa Solar Industry Association has recorded almost 2 GW of large scale project announcements since the start of last month with 18 countries planning new clean power infrastructure and including energy storage in the plants.
African utilities wary of threat from renewables
The rise of clean energy and prosumers, net metering and greenhouse gas regulation all figure among the bogeymen as far as national electric companies are concerned.
Electricity access aims prompt fresh $120m in loans and grants for African off-grid solar
Benin has obtained a $21.1 million loan from the investment and development bank of the Economic Community of West African States and Burundi will benefit from a $160 million World Bank donation, $100 million of which will be dedicated to solar energy.
Solar in Burundi – just add water
The African Development Bank is seeking consultants to explore how two hydropower projects and an associated grid planned in Burundi can incorporate solar power. The addition of photovoltaics is intended to reduce the country’s dependency on hydro, level out generation during dry and wet seasons and mitigate the effect of droughts.
Construction underway at Burundi’s first utility-scale solar plant
A ground-breaking ceremony took place on Wednesday for the 7.5 MW solar PV plant that is being developed by Gigawatt Global in East African country Burundi, which, once complete, will add 15% to the country’s electricity generation capacity.
