410 MW Solar Park
The International Solar Alliance’s (ISA) Fourth Regional Committee Gathering was held in Addis Ababa—the first for the region—arranged in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE). In attendance were Ajay Mathur (PhD), Director General of ISA and ministers from Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Ghana, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Comoros, and Somalia. ISA has 107 member countries, including 36 that are actively participating and 6 African signatories.
Ajay stated that “the potential for renewable energy on the African continent is limitless, and it includes copious solar energy with a 10 terawatt (TW) capacity. Investments, capacity building, and policy assistance are all necessary for accelerating solarization. ISA is enabling a variety of solutions, including solar water pumps, solar parks, and developing methods for blended finance. It will assist in bringing about lasting, affordable, and significant solutions.”
He also emphasized that there hasn’t been a uniform deployment despite Africa’s great technological potential and the urgent need for solar system adoption. “To deploy solar energy technology widely and to grow the solar market, we are aiming to mobilize USD1 trillion in investment. Africa can advance toward supplying power to all 400 million residents with the correct interventions, a well-thought-out strategy, and the backing of leadership, all while fostering regional economic expansion, job creation, and a secure and wholesome environment.”
Sultan Wali (PhD), State Minister of MoWE welcomed ISA and its solarization objective, adding that “Ethiopia is blessed with the potential for renewable energy sources which may be used to improve the country’s welfare. The nation has enormous potential to generate hydropower (45,000 MW), geothermal energy (10,000 MW), wind energy (100 GW), and solar energy. Even though we have a lot of potential for several energy sources, we only produce 5,000MW, the majority of which comes from hydropower (92Pct). As a result, the government is prioritizing the production of extensive and diversified renewable energy.”
ISA is steering energy transition across the globe by extending technical and financial support, implementing demonstratable solar projects across agriculture and public health sectors. In Africa, ISA has projects in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda. In Ethiopia, ISA is working on the development of 410 MW Solar Park, providing 2,250 solar pumps for irrigation, and 1,400 solar water pumps for drinking water purposes.