This report describes accuracy enhancement of Solargis solar resource
Malawi has had a crisis in getting energy to its people, with three-quarters of its people having little to no access to electricity. That problem has only gotten worse due to the devastation of cyclone Freddy. However, there are more and more solar panel projects that are cropping up across the country to solve that problem. Here''s everything you need to know about the benefits of solar panels, the projects that are getting off the ground, and what the future can look like for renewable energy in Malawi.
Solar panels are a great way to rapidly expand electricity access for more remote areas of Malawi. Over the past decade, the global cost of solar power has dropped significantly—by three quarters.
Solar power can connect people in remote places to more efficient ways of conducting business, growing crops, or accessing their hobbies.
For example, people can now be sunflower farmers since oil presses are now available that weren''t before solar panels were installed. Solar panels also make life more disability-friendly for people with chronic illnesses or who have to use wheelchairs. Not having to make extensive treks from one place to another can make it easier for those people to make a living.
The versatility of access that renewable energy brings to the table benefits a country like Malawi, which has historically struggled with bringing power into its more rural areas. This isn''t to mention the environmental benefits of renewable energy.
There are many exciting solar projects currently popping up across Malawi.
It will have the capacity to generate 7 GWh of electricity every year, fed into the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM) network. The project has also benefited from the U.S Development Finance Corporation and the Africa Trade Insurance Agency''s financial aid.
The lowering cost of solar energy and the more remote access that it gives to electricity makes the future of Malawi''s power grid seem much brighter. After Cyclone Freddy has battered Mozambique and given way to over 400 fatalities, the time is now to rebuild. Reconstructing the destroyed homes and buildings with a forward-facing mindset towards a better economic and social model with electricity access could mean that we leave the disaster looking up rather than back.
The future for Malawi can be filled with more irrigation and industrial opportunities, as well as greater access to entertainment like sports betting or television. If foreign funds can be appropriately used and agreed upon for building a robust solar grid across Malawi, the future is full of possibilities.
The Bwengu Solar PV Power Plant will spread over 105 hectares of land and is expected to be built at a cost of $65 million within 12 months. The facility will be located in Ulalo Nyirenda village, which is just 1 km from the Bwengu Escome Substation power grid.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Bwengu Solar PV Power Plant.
Image: Ministry of Energy of Malawi
A consortium led by US-based independent power producer Quantel Renewable Energy has begun construction on a 50 MW solar power plant in Malawi.
“This additional power is in line with the government''s ambition to generate 1,000 MW by 2025 as well as sustainable development goal number seven to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all,” Malawi''s Ministry of Energy said in a statement. “Furthermore, this power plant is also harmonious with the National Energy Policy''s objectives to diversify the sources of energy for power generation and the locations of the power plants in the country.”
Malawi had an installed solar power of around 24 MW at the end of 2020, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. With a population of approximately 19 million people, the landlocked nation has a power generation capacity of around 363 MW, around 90% of which comes from hydropower. Access to power in Malawi''s rural areas is currently only 4%, with 42% in urban areas. Overall, electricity access is only 11% and the government aims to increase that figure to 30% by 2030.
More articles from Emiliano Bellini
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The President of the Republic of Malawi Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera visited the Salima district, 101 km from the capital Lilongwe, on November 16, 2021. It was to preside over the inauguration ceremony of a solar photovoltaic power plant whose construction site and production tests were recently completed. The facility, which has a capacity of 60 MWp, is the first solar power plant to be connected to Malawi’s national electricity grid.
“Salima Solar is the first solar PV plant in Malawi to be connected to the national grid. As such, it is a model for future projects in several ways… In particular, it demonstrates that Malawi is an attractive destination for private sector investment in energy,” says President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera at the plant’s inauguration ceremony. The Salima solar plant will be capable of producing 154 GWh per year.
The Salima solar power plant is the result of a public-private partnership (PPP) project originally developed by JCM Power Corporation, Matswani, and InfraCo Africa, a Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company. Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), the Dutch Development Finance Company, later joined the project in its construction phase, along with JCM Power and InfraCo Africa.
The consortium will sell the clean electricity generated at Salima to the state-owned Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The solar plant is guaranteed by the Africa Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), a financial institution established by seven Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries with technical and financial support from the World Bank to provide insurance against political and commercial risks.
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