Sub-Saharan Africa

Wifi hotspots powered by PV will bring internet access to remote communities for the first time under a scheme run by a ‘next generation utility’ which hopes to expand to provide more conventional utility services in future.

German EPC company Cronimet has installed a 150 kW solar array to work alongside a 332 kWh battery storage system at a luxury lodge complex in a remote part of the African nation.

Chinese solar PV manufacturer, Seraphim has inaugurated a US$14 million, 300 MW solar PV module manufacturing facility in South Africa. Plans are in place to ramp this up to 1.5 GW over the next three years, and add 300 MW of cell production.

Mini-grid solutions are becoming more popular to deliver electricity to rural areas. There are 1 billion people worldwide without access to electricity and off-grid solutions could be the cheapest and easiest solution for about 70% of them. It is estimated the market in the segment will be worth $64 billion by 2030.

Odyssey connects stakeholders along the mini-grid value chain to streamline development and financing processes. Reportedly over 275,000 connections would be achieved if the full pipeline is realized, and recently, it experienced a significant boost in a very dynamic mini-grid market.

The African Development Bank is currently seeking consultants to arrange debt financing for five 20 MW projects it aims to develop under Zambia’s Renewable Energy Financing Framework.

The Zahid Group has invested an undisclosed amount in Germany-based Greencells. A key focus for the latter will now be hybrid systems in the APAC and African regions. An update on the 1.2 GW Sweihan solar project in Abu Dhabi was also given.

While Africa has emerged as a dynamic, fast-moving hub, Asia leads in capacity deployment with its total capacity more than tripling to nearly 4.3 GW in 2017 from 1.3 GW in 2008, finds IRENA. Particularly, in India, a strong policy has pushed deployment of off-grid solar for agriculture and public end-uses.

GE Power Grid Solutions has presented a new white paper detailing the opportunities and challenges of smart grid applications in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report says that updating the centrally designed grid to expand and improve resilience may not be the most economical way to ensure energy access to the households in the region.

South Africa-based Sun Exchange and U.S. minigrid developer, Powerhive have come together to step up minigrid deployment in rural Kenya by leveraging the crypto economy. The partnership is expected to catalyze up to $23 million of capital and fund around 150 new projects in the country’s power hungry areas.