Pan-African energy developer Grid Africa has partnered strategically with TCL Solar, a photovoltaic technology provider, to deliver innovative distributed energy solutions to Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The initiative will utilise advanced solar and battery storage technologies to bolster regional energy security and foster economic growth.
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Sub-Saharan Africa faces a critical energy shortage, with many nations struggling to supply consistent and reliable electricity to meet rising demands.
The regional energy landscape is changing with heightened trading activity and the consolidation of the Southern Africa Power Pool, offering a unique opportunity to bypass conventional infrastructure development.
Zimbabwe and Zambia, with their robust transmission networks and recent regulatory changes promoting easier grid access, offer a promising landscape for the swift deployment of distributed energy systems.
Grid Africa CEO Norman Moyo stated: “There is a solution to the crisis if we embrace new emerging technologies that are immediately available and quick to deploy. We have a unique opportunity to reverse engineer our over-reliance on utilities by deploying distributed solutions that leverage existing transmission and distribution infrastructure.
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By GlobalData“Just as we successfully revolutionised telecommunications with GSM [Global System for Mobile Communication] technology, we can apply the same mindset to solve our energy security challenges.”
TCL Solar aims to deploy 100MW of distributed energy solutions in the two countries. The collaboration will require efficient supply chain management to ensure prompt and effective implementation.
TCL Solar Middle East and Africa stated: “In partnering with Grid Africa, we are excited to contribute to a sustainable energy future for the region.
“Targeting the high temperature and high irradiation environment of Zimbabwe and Zambia, TCL Solar optimised the existing module design by following the advanced TOPCon passivation structural technology patents of SunPower, improved the thermal resistance and power generation capacity of the modules.”
In a related development, Zambia recently announced plans to resume construction on the Zambia-Tanzania Interconnector Project, linking its power grid to East Africa.
