70% of the population in Uganda currently has no electricity and more than half the population still use kerosene lamps to light their homes. But with an average 200 hours of sunshine per month there is an opportunity for the country to maximise the sun’s power with solar solutions.
There has recently (last October) been the introduction of the country’s first PV system, a 10MW solar plant in Tororo town, which is one of the largest solar plants in East Africa. But there is still a long way to go for an “off-grid energy revolution…
This is where the United Nations has got involved, and we are pleased to see that the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) will be partnering the UN to provide additional support to Uganda Solar Energy Association (USEA).
The DFID signed an agreement with Uganda in December for the Energy Africa Compact programme, the aim of which was to document strategic areas to accelerate the adoption of solar home and institutional lighting systems to achieve 100% electrification by 2030.
The UNCDF CleanStart programme, which supports investment into the early stage innovations from financial institutions, will assist the Uganda Solar Energy Association with the Energy Africa Compact programme.
DFID Uganda head Jennie Barugh said: “A well-functioning USEA will lead to an increase in the number, performance and investment in solar home system companies. Combined with other initiatives of the ‘On and Off-Grid Small Scale Renewable Energy in Uganda’ project, this work will contribute to improved clean energy access for over 200,000 households and businesses.”