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Commercial and industrial (C&I) solar company Starsight Energy has reported 74% growth in revenues in 2020, underlining the apparent differing fortunes for off-grid solar companies, as solar home system (SHS) providers appear to have struggled more than C&I companies.

Bui Power Authority (BPA) has commissioned the first 22.25MWp of the 250MWp Bui Solar PV farm under development beside the Bui hydropower dam. As Ghana moves ahead with its plans to increase on-grid renewables in the  solar energy mix, the 13MWp first phase of the 24MWp Kaleo PV farm will be commissioned in June.

A construction start  is expected in Q3 2021 at the 4.22MW run-of-river Bihongora Hydro  IPP in the valley of the Bihongora River in Rubavu District, Western Province – provided Covid-19 doesn’t cause further unexpected delays, East African Power (EAP) projects director John Lee Pattinson told African Energy.

Belgium’s Enabel has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) for the design, procurement and construction of five hybrid mini-grids in Zambézia and Nampula provinces. The mini-grids are part of the second phase of Enabel’s Renewable Energy for Rural Development project, which was launched in mid-2018 and which will run until 2024.

China’s Sinosoar signed an agreement on 12 March with the state Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) to design, build and operate a solar-diesel mini-grid in Bokolomayo Village in the south of Somali Regional State. 

Russia’s Nordgold Group has confirmed that the 33MW HFO plant it is building to power its Lefa mine in the Kankan region of Guinea will be commissioned by the end of 2021

The PIDG group is pushing its credentials as a powerful support for early-stage developments with significant business flow of renewables projects. A solar project in Burkina Faso is the latest beneficiary, writes Marc Howard.

Off-grid operations have proved resilient in the face of Covid-19 challenges, as major investors and financial institutions expand their support for electricity access away from national grids. But scaling up local businesses so that distributed energy solutions can reach their potential remains a huge challenge, leading industry players told a virtual African Investment Exchange (AIX) meeting.

As African Energy editor Thalia Griffiths leaves to explore new opportunities, colleagues asked for her take on developments after 23 years leading the publication. For all the tragedies like the current Ethiopian conflict, she sees real hope for a better future on a continent where, in many places, governance has improved and previously marginalised populations are becoming empowered to enact positive change.

Energy developer Cenfura has announced a joint venture with London-based DNA Global Energy to develop energy projects across Africa. The agreement is primarily a financial one which will extend Cenfura’s line of credit for project developments across the continent. The joint venture’s first project will be 14 solar PV mini-grid systems in South Africa which will be jointly developed and owned by both companies, Cenfura’s chairman and founder Pasi Nieminen told African Energy.

 The World Bank Group (WBG) is considering an International Development Association (IDA) grant worth $280m for the Chad Energy Access Scale Up Project. The transaction is expected to be submitted to the board in December. The project proposes a three-phase approach. The first phase covers rehabilitation and expansion of existing mini-grids and construction of new grids, deployment of standalone solar systems, and construction of utility-scale solar PV plants.

Distributed Power Africa (DPA) recently completed the installation of a 1.8MWp diesel-solar hybrid plant at Tanganda Tea Company’s Ratelshoek estate in Manicaland, which forms part of a wider 7.5MW solar programme across the company’s estates. Tanganda’s sites had suffered from frequent power cuts in recent years that interrupted tea production.

The Department of Energy is inviting expressions of interest from consultants to prepare 16 mini-grids for tendering and identify a further 14 mini-grid sites. The World Bank Group’s International Development Association and the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Programme are supporting the $52.9m Lesotho Renewable Energy and Electricity Access Project (LREEAP) to increase access to electricity in rural and peri-urban areas. The project aims to extend the grid in peri-urban areas and use mini-grids in rural and remote areas.

Power Africa is seeking projects offering off-grid energy access to improve the capabilities of healthcare facilities providing maternal and child health services in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda. Grant funding will support the scale-up of existing business models or technologies for the electrification of healthcare facilities.

President Cyril Ramaphosa used his state of the nation address to set out measures the government is taking to combat the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, with energy close to the top of the list of priorities. New procurement may finally get under way soon, writes Dan Marks