- Sweden will provide $750,000 for feasibility studies for floating solar deployment in Uganda.
- The study will commence in January 2022.
- Floating solar plants help to eliminate land use impacts while maximising hydropower output.
UEGCL Chief Executive Officer Harrison Mutikanga and the Sweden Ambassador to Uganda Maria Hakanson has signed a memorandum of understanding on an Shs2.7bn (approximately $750,000) grant to conduct feasibility studies for floating solar development in the country. The study is estimated to be conducted in 21 months. It will focus on developing a pilot on one of the reservoirs at the Nalubaale, Kiira, Bujagali, Isimba or Karuma hydropower plants.
According to Mutikanga, this will be the first study on floating solar plants in sub-Saharan Africa. Uganda currently generates about 80 per cent of its power from hydroelectricity, but climate change and increasing drought could impact generation capacity. Floating solar plants limits solar systems’ land impact, allowing for the utilisation of existing hydropower plants’ reservoirs and transmission infrastructure. These solar systems also reduce the rate of evaporation from hydropower reservoirs.
The Swedish Ambassador, Maria Hakanson, noted that clean energy adoption and its climate benefits are a priority for Sweden. The new grant she noted is in addition to previous and ongoing support to electrification in Uganda, mainly through the Rural Electrification Agency, United Nations Capital Development Fund and other areas of partnership.