Sub-Saharan Africa

A French consortium featuring Akuo and Sagecom has built a 30 MW solar plant in Niger. The European Union, the French Development Bank and the government of Niger co-financed the installation.

Madagascar has tendered a 200 MW solar project near Antananarivo and a 10 MW facility on its north coast.

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have agreed to collaborate with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on hydrogen, while Masdar, Mitsubishi and Inpex have said that they will use green hydrogen to produce e-methane and polypropylene.

The Angolan Ministry of Finance has secured €1.29 billion ($1.44 billion) from Standard Chartered to finance the construction of 48 hybrid PV systems across the provinces of Moxico, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Bie, and Malanje. The new solar infrastructure will provide sustainable electricity to 1 million people.

South African individuals and homeowners can now claim rebates of up to 25% of their solar panel costs, up to a maximum of ZAR 15,000 ($800). Recent changes to the solar rebate scheme specify that the panels must have a minimum output of 275 W. They can be installed as part of new or existing systems.

The opportunities available from the aggregation and interpretation of mass data are huge and could help attract investors and ensure more efficient electricity networks as the world races to try and achieve the UN goal of access to reliable energy for all this decade.

MySol Grid Zambia, a subsidiary of Engie Energy Access (EEA), has secured $7.5 million of debt from the Facility for Energy Inclusion (FEI) to build 60 minigrids. The projects will provide electricity to more than 40,000 people in rural areas.

Meridiam and Engie have agreed to acquire BTE Renewables, which operates 150 MW of onshore wind and 190 MW of solar in South Africa. The Johannesburg-based developer currently has a project portfolio exceeding 3 GW.

Oxford nanoSystems (OnS) has started working with electrolyzer manufacturers to test and scale up hydrogen production.

The 25th edition of the Africa Energy Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, drew participants from across Africa and the world. pv magazine was on the ground at the trade show to speak with the attendees.