PV relief for sub-Saharan Africa amid Covid-19 pandemic
Solar support is on the way for businesses and communities struggling to cope as the coronavirus outbreak ripples across the continent.
Kenyan utility launches tender for PV panel factory
The electricity company wants a solar module fab at its Tana Power Station in Murang’a county. The factory would have an initial annual production capacity of 10 MW.
Renewables deals dwarfed by oil and gas at UK-Africa Investment Summit
The scale of fossil fuel deals signed between African governments and U.K. oil and gas interests reportedly amounted to more than 11 times the volume of renewable energy commitments as Britain scrambles for post-Brexit financial opportunities.
Financing African projects remains a struggle
Innoenergy’s recent conference in Berlin repeated the argument financing renewable energy projects in Africa remains a struggle, however it also showcased some hopeful case studies.
PowerGen closes funding for electricity access for a million people
The microgrid utility has raised enough capital from Shell New Energies to deploy systems across sub-Saharan Africa.
Kenya’s Kisumu County launches tender for solar mini-grids
The local authority is seeking proposals to build mini-grids with generation capacities of more than 5 kW to power hospitals, markets, water pumping and street lighting. The council has expressed a strong preference for the build, operate and transfer project development model.
Off-grid solar sector witnesses sales of 4.1 million products in six months
Industry body Gogla and the World Bank’s Lighting Global program said the last six months set a record for off-grid solar deployment. Solar home systems and other small off-grid appliances are being used in ever larger numbers.
80 MW of Kenyan PV projects get €106m boost from Europe
The European Investment Bank and the Netherlands Development Finance Company have each provided €53 million for the Radiant and Eldosol solar projects.
Kenyan government blamed for sluggish progress of solar
Two solar farms with 80 MW of generation capacity tendered in 2017 are being built and will be commissioned this year but another two, allocated at the same time, are no nearer construction. Kenya, however, has been touted as the site of Africa’s first wind-solar-storage hybrid project.
The rise and rise of Bboxx: Off-grid solar supplier lands another $50m
The solar home system company, which enables customers to pay their solar electricity bill through an app on their mobile on a PAYG basis, has conducted a monumental funding round as it eyes expansion to become a fully-fledged pay-as-you-go utility.
