News about Minigrids

With EUR 20 million support from the European Union (EU), the Government is launching a Results Based Financing (RBF) mechanism for the rollout of the next wave of solar mini-grids expected to electrify 35,000 households.
Electricity access is a persistent issue across Africa, particularly in the sub-Saharan region that is home to most of the nearly 600 million people on the continent without affordable electricity. Minigrids have proven themselves a key electrification strategy that’s up to solving this herculean challenge.
Hakwata village in Zimbabwe launched a 200-kW solar microgrid system earlier this month that will power a health clinic, school, shops and homes. In Nigeria, plans to build a solar minigrid to serve 1,000 customers in the village of Duduguru were announced.
Over the past decade there has been a consistent and notable upward trend in mini-grid installations globally. Installations are over six times higher compared with 2018. This growth, particularly notable in sub-Saharan Africa, underscores the increasing recognition of mini-grids as a feasible solution for electrification in remote areas.
AVSI Foundation, an Italian NGO, has launched a tender to repair a 100 kWp minigrid in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project involves replacing the battery energy storage and conversion systems. Applications are due Nov. 4.
The Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) is searching for private minigrid developers to design, construct, operate and maintain a minigrid system that will electrify a remote community in the south of the country. The closing date for applications is August 23.
A hybrid mini grid station powered by solar energy in Nigeria. Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images
Electricity is a scarce commodity in Nigeria. With just over 4,000 megawatts supplying nearly 220 million people, the electricity access deficit stands at about 40% nationwide. The picture looks even darker in rural areas. There, 73% of the population is off the power grid.