Africa turns to solar micro-grids to close energy gap

African countries are turning to solar micro-grids to tackle widespread electricity shortages, according to an Africa News report, published on February 13th. 

Access to electricity across Africa was a key issue at the World Government Summit in Dubai, where leaders and business executives discussed ways to address the energy challenge, as hundreds of millions of people on the continent still live without reliable power.

Walid Sheta, President for Africa and the Middle East at Schneider Electric, said large interconnected national grids alone will not solve the problem.

“The solution will not come solely through interconnected networks as they exist in Europe,” Sheta said. He explained that Africa’s size and long distances between cities and rural areas make it harder to build and manage a single, unified grid.

Instead, smaller systems, such as mini-grids and micro-grids, are more suitable. These are often powered mainly by solar energy and are designed to serve towns, villages or specific sites.

Sheta said these smaller networks can deliver electricity directly to communities that are far from national grids. While solar power plays a major role, other energy sources can also be used within these systems.

However, he stressed that access remains the main challenge. Even when energy is available, many communities still struggle to connect to it. He also said that technology alone is not enough. He called for better cooperation between governments, investors and local businesses. 

“Many donors support these electrification projects. The real challenge is to bring together people, businesses and governments to electrify every village with an appropriate solution,” he added. 

According to Sheta, countries such as Nigeria and Kenya are seeing rapid growth in micro-grid projects. Central African nations are also adopting similar systems.

Micro-grids are not limited to remote areas. Hotels, offices and industrial zones can also use them, especially in places where national grids are unstable. In some cases, connecting to a solar-based system is simpler and more reliable.

As more companies enter the sector, managing power from both the national grid and local generation is becoming increasingly important, Sheta said.

Africa News and agencies, Maghrebi.org