Africa

Zimbabwe state-owned power company Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) has applied to develop three solar PV plants with the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA).

Indian-based solar EPC firm Sterling & Wilson has started construction on a 54MW PV project in Kafue District, Zambia.

A pay-to-own solar system will be developed in Zambia by MTN, Africa’s largest telecoms company, in partnership with Fenix International, who is extending ReadyPay Power.

The World Bank is providing US$150 million in credit for off-grid solar energy in marginalised communities of Kenya.

Mobisol has secured funding from Finnfund for its East Africa expansion, CEFC's investment commitments more than doubled last fiscal year, Acciona is supplying renewable energy to Latin America's largest retail store chain, Sungrow has supplied inverters and an energy storage system to the Bahamas.

IEA finds renewables investment down 3%, Huntec to build 370MW in Mexico, Meeco to build 57 small-scale systems in Guyana, Enel and SeedWorld collaborate to find Africa energy startups.

ReneSola has been awarded 5MW of agricultural PV projects in Thailand, Vonovia and E.ON are to install 2.2MW of solar systems in Dresden, Redavia has opened a Ghana office.

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has put out a tender request for a 25MW hybrid solar-diesel-storage project in Sierra Leone.

A 30MW solar PV project in Tanzania is one of the winners of Access Power’s US$7 million Access Co-Development Facility (ACF).

Whilst African solar is still firmly an emerging market, investors have confirmed that issues remain with development finance, insofar as it is holding back the market from truly taking off. Whilst development finance institutions (DFIs) are a crucial part of allowing the market to find its feet, the continent’s economic infrastructure needs to move beyond the realm of development finance for commercial financiers to be enticed.