DR Congo

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has invested nearly $700,000 to build a 120 kW hybrid solar plant in Mambasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The community PV project will supply power to more than 300 users, including six health centers, 224 small businesses, and 89 households.

Multilateral organizations the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) have played a key role in the development of African solar and want to attract more private capital to a continent with at least 40% of the world’s solar irradiation but currently only 1% of its PV generation capacity.

AVSI Foundation, an Italian NGO, has launched a tender to repair a 100 kWp minigrid in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project involves replacing the battery energy storage and conversion systems. Applications are due Nov. 4.

East African Power says it will build two 133 MW solar projects. The installations have 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the national utility, Société Nationale de l’Electricité (SNEL).

ZeroAvia tested its new 19-seat hydrogen-powered aircraft, Chinese scientists unveiled new tech to promote bubble removal in electrolyzers, and Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology researchers claimed that the most efficient hydrogen production systems are based on waste heat.

A 100 MWac solar farm planned in the Katanga region will be boosted by an additional credit line after the International Finance Corporation and the British and Norwegian government-owned Globeleq came on board.

With pressure mounting on the world’s governments to turn their back on the fossil fuel, China and peers in South East Asia, Europe and South Asia could help deliver a coal-free future at the COP26 climate summit planned in Glasgow in November.

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.

With ‘shovel-ready’ projects across India, Africa and Latin America in line for a mix of grants, cheap loans, equity investment and financial guarantees from this year, the two bodies hope to trigger $20 billion in total funding and bring reliable power to a billion people.

An international consortium led by Powergrids plans to invest $100 million in three off-grid solar plants intended to power the cities of Gemena, Bumba, and Isiro, which are located in the country’s northern region and currently have no connection to the country’s power network.