Solar power projects in Africa have seen a flurry of newsworthy events, including project commissioning, award, and confirmation. Solar power is becoming more popular in Africa as demand for clean energy grows, and access to it becomes the cheaper choice. Firms of all sizes are growing more interested in this prospect.
Also Read: Construction of largest renewable energy investment in South Africa begins
Until recently, Solar power projects in Africa was seen as just an “alternative” energy source. However, a shift in attitudes has happened, even among heavy power users, due to price cuts and the high costs of power outages. A of all shapes and sizes are taking part in the celebrations.
The growing installation of Solar power projects in Africa by power-hungry industrial firms looking for stable and lower-cost supplies has upset regional electricity distributors. Because heavy power customers account for more than half of many regional utilities’ sales revenues, their removal would have a substantial financial impact.
Since June, the Africa Solar Industry Association claims to have monitored approximately 1.9 Gigawatts (nearly 2,000 MW) of large-scale projects in various stages of construction across the continent.
The projects shown are in various phases of development, from tendering and licencing through financial closure and construction.
Kenhardt solar project
Kenhardt, a small town in South Africa’s Northern Cape area, is the most recent large-scale solar award from AFSIA, which comprises 540MW of solar production and 1,140MWh of energy storage.
The Kenhardt project is viewed as a possible answer to South Africa’s ongoing load shedding and power shortages. It was granted to Norwegian developer Scatec in June.
Redstone Solar project
Redstone, a major renewable energy project with a capacity of 100MW in South Africa, is now in the funding stage.
Serenje Solar project
In Zambia’s Serenje District, construction of three solar facilities with a combined producing capacity of 200 MW has commenced. This is in addition to several other projects, including Tanzania and DRC.
According to the International Energy Agency’s Africa Energy Outlook report 2019, increased investments in solar energy would boost the continent’s average annual solar deployment to 320 Gigawatts by 2040.
