Solar power lights up Somalia's healthcare facilities

From the newsletter

Somalia is planning renewable electrification for 90 healthcare and education facilities in a World Bank-funded project. This involves installing 3.8 MW of solar PV and 18 MWh of battery energy storage systems by US-based Renewvia Energy in each facility. The goal is to ensure a reliable power supply and improve rural healthcare and education.

• Healthcare electrification remains a significant challenge in Africa. According to research by SEforALL, only 28% of healthcare facilities have access to reliable electricity, contributing to poor health outcomes in the region.

• The World Bank, under the Somali Electricity Sector Recovery Project, is supporting the country to close its electrification gap, which affects more than half the population.

More details

• Solar power is rapidly gaining traction across diverse sectors due to its affordability and ease of deployment, with residential, commercial, and industrial consumers increasingly adopting it. A significant trend further boosting its appeal is the decreasing cost of batteries, which is now making the majority of new solar installations incorporate battery storage solutions.

• This growing interest in solar highlights a stark contrast with the energy deficit affecting critical sectors like healthcare in Africa. SEforALL research indicates that approximately 25,000 healthcare facilities on the continent lack any electricity access, while another 70,000 suffer from unreliable power supplies. This widespread lack of consistent electricity severely hinders the ability of healthcare providers, particularly those in remote and rural areas, to deliver quality patient care.

• The potential of solar to address this challenge is significant. According to SEforALL, around $2.6 billion is required to sustainably electrify health facilities across seven key countries in the Global South: India, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zambia, the DR Congo, and Kenya. Solar energy is identified as the most suitable technology for this purpose. 

• Another research by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre points out that over 200,000 schools in Africa lack electricity and could be powered sustainably with solar.

• Encouragingly, there are ongoing developments aimed at supporting healthcare electrification in Africa. Zambia, for instance, has plans to electrify 200 health facilities nationwide using solar power. Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are ahead with many of their healthcare facilities already using solar.

• There is also a recent partnership between the Government of Sweden and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) that seeks to mobilise resources to power thousands of healthcare facilities across South Africa, Eswatini, Malawi, and Kenya. It aims to establish a replicable blended finance model for the national-scale electrification of health clinics throughout Africa.

Our take

• The increasing adoption of solar power across various sectors clearly demonstrates its growing potential to compete with fossil fuels. Its appeal stems from achieving cost parity with traditional energy sources, and its straightforward deployment can even position it as a more competitive option.

• Energy companies should strategically explore adaptable business models, such as energy as a service. This approach is particularly well-suited for environments like schools and hospitals, where there might be a lack of technical expertise to manage power plants directly, but a consistent budget to pay for electricity consumption.

• Somalia is establishing a noteworthy precedent for other nations to emulate, particularly its widespread integration of battery energy storage in nearly all solar projects. This approach should be the standard moving forward to guarantee that renewable energy sources can reliably contribute to baseload power generation.