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Kenya has long been one of the most open markets in sub-Saharan Africa, but private investors in the country’s power sector are not having an easy ride. Power tariffs are being pushed downwards, with the most recent solar power purchase agreements (PPAs), signed earlier this year, reaching $0.075/kWh, despite government support for payments from the utilities it controls being steadily diluted. Companies frequently find policymaking opaque and must contend with unexpected rule changes and the endless renegotiation of documentation.

The West African Power Pool secretariat in partnership with the government of The Gambia has invited expressions of interest by 28 October from consultants to undertake a feasibility study for a solar PV park with a total indicative capacity of 150MW with battery storage. The proposed project, which would be the country’s first utility-scale solar park, is earmarked for a 225-hectare site close to a 225/30kV substation under construction at Soma in the Greater Banjul area.

Germany’s KfW has agreed to extend a €25m grant to the Ministry of Economics and Finance for the Global Energy Transfer Feed-in-Tariff (Get FiT) programme in Mozambique. The programme will promote private sector investment in solar PV systems including battery storage of up to 32MW, KfW announced on 4 September. The project will support government efforts to supply the entire population with electricity by 2030. At present, only just under one third of Mozambicans have access to electricity.

The US Trade and Development Agency announced on 9 August the award of a grant to Upepo Energy Zambia to fund a feasibility study for a 150MW wind, solar and energy storage hybrid power plant project in northern Zambia. The study, which will be carried out by New York-based WSP USA, will evaluate the optimal mix of on-site wind, solar and battery storage capacity to provide energy generation and services to the grid. WSP will conduct the technical and financial analysis needed to develop the project and determine its commercial viability.

The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has approved a grant for Craftskills Energy Ltd – the Kenyan company originating the Kipeto wind project – to fund a feasibility study for a 50MW wind and battery project.

Procurement for a contractor to design, supply and install a 25MW solar power plant with 25MWh battery storage in the Central African Republic is under way and construction is expected to begin during Q4 2019, the World Bank Group (WBG) has confirmed to African Energy. The Bangui solar photovoltaic (PV) project is being fully funded by a $48m grant from the WBG’s International Development Association.

The World Bank Group (WBG) is convening a new partnership of 29 organisations to bring energy storage technologies to developing countries. The Energy Storage Partnership (ESP) will facilitate international cooperation over four areas: technology research, development and demonstration; system integration and planning tools; policies, regulations and procurement; and enabling systems for management and sustainability. The ESP will be hosted at the WBG’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme and will complement a $1bn battery storage investment programme announced by the WBG in September 2018.

State power utility Senelec has been holding talks with stakeholders to discuss the procurement of 80MWh of battery storage. Senegal has been rapidly procuring variable renewable power and the 158.7MW Taïba N’Diaye wind project in particular requires more reactive capacity on the grid to be fully dispatched. The project is set to begin commissioning in September with roughly 50MW coming online in October, 50MW in January and 50MW in April 2020.

Norway’s Scatec Solar announced on 7 May that it has signed a contract with the International Organisation for Migration to build a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with battery storage to supply the Humanitarian Hub in Malakal. Scatec will design, supply, install and operate a 700kW solar plant with a 1.6MWh battery system, which will combine with existing diesel generators. The company is partnering for the project with Kube Energy, another Norwegian company.

With elections coming up on 8 May, the power crisis in South Africa has peaked at an inconvenient time for President Cyril Ramaphosa. While opposition parties, particularly the Democratic Alliance, are seeking to make political capital out of the catastrophic deterioration in technical and financial performance at Eskom, there are also concerns that no substantial policy measures are likely until after the elections. This could have implications for policies such as the unbundling of transmission, where the government had aimed to appoint directors for a new entity around mid-year.

Eni has begun the construction of a 5MW solar photovoltaic plant at the Adam oil concession in the Tataouine governorate. The energy produced will be used on site, reducing gas consumption and avoiding around 6.500 t/yr of CO2 equivalent emissions. The solar plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2019 as part of a cooperation agreement with Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activités Pétrolières. The project aims to establish a hybrid electricity production system with battery storage devices to integrate with the existing turbines.

Zola Electric – formerly Off Grid Electric – is preparing to launch a new smart storage system targeting on-grid residential and commercial customers. The Infinity system has been in development for more than two years and was a major focus for funding from a $55m equity round completed in early 2018. The system is significantly larger than most solar home systems currently on the market, with 300W solar panels and 1.6-3kWh batteries, and includes features that mean it can play a very different role in power supply, leading Zola to call it an autonomous power grid rather than a solar home system.

The Central Electricity Board (CEB) has launched a tender for the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 14MW of battery storage. The systems are to be located at four substations: 4MW at Jin Fei, 2MW at La Tour Koenig, 4MW at Anahita and 4MW at Wooton. All four systems are to be running within a year of the contract being awarded. The batteries will be able to provide power at their rated capacity for at least 15 minutes to help stabilise the grid.