-
Businesses in Sudan are increasingly adopting solar energy as a respite for the country’s energy shortages.
- The government has also implemented policies aimed at accelerating the adoption.
Sudanese businesses are turning to renewable energy to avoid Sudan’s energy shortages. With foreign reserves of the Central African country declining and the country’s recent reduction of energy subsidies, purchasing petrol, diesel, fuel oil, and cooking gas have become a hurdle.
Read also: Renewable Energy Improve Services in Sudanese Refugee Camps
According to market stakeholder, Sudan’s solar market is still growing, but there is potential to generate about 2.4GW of solar power over the next decade. Rushdi Hamid, business development manager, Saruest Investment, one of six major solar energy investors in the country, noted that while utility-scale power plants will dominate the development, there would be significant household and agricultural off-grid solar market.
The Sudanese government has already implemented several policies to accelerate the adoption of solar energy, including duty exemptions on imported solar panels. Commercial lenders are also providing consumer financing that has allowed farmers to pay for solar systems in instalments. Small solar energy units, on average, costs around $500 in the country, and these systems pay for themselves in under two years with the electricity bill savings.