Are solar panels affordable in Malawi?

A man welding a frame to mount solar panels in Malawi. The reduced cost of solar electricity has made electricity access affordable even to low-income households.

Which solar projects are being developed in Malawi?

InfraCo Africa, JCM Clean Power Development Fund (JCM), and a local developer, Matswani, recently co-developed the 60 MW Salima Solar project. The PV plant is situated 75 km east of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, and is now delivering to Malawi’s national grid. The Golomoti solar plant is another recent addition.

Where are Malawi's solar plants located?

The PV plant is situated 75 km east of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, and is now delivering to Malawi’s national grid. The Golomoti solar plant is another recent addition. The plant is a 20 MWAC solar photovoltaic project coupled with a 10 MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system at Dedza, approximately 100 km southeast of Lilongwe.

What is a new power plant in Malawi?

The agreement was signed under Malawi’s Public-Private Partnership framework. The 350 MW plant will be located on the Shire River. The generation facility is composed of two plants — a 309 MW peaking plant and a 41 MW downstream plant. This new plant will help raise Malawi’s generation capacity to close to 1 GW.

How many people have access to electricity in Malawi?

This is about 3.5% of the population provided with access in the past 12 months, bringing the total access rate in Malawi to around 23%, up from 19%. The target is to give access to 180,000 on-grid households and 200,000 Off-Grid households by the end of June 2025, translating to an additional 1.9 million people having access to electricity.

What is delivering power to Malawi's national grid?

This is another welcome development that is now delivering some much-needed power to Malawi’s national grid. The Golomoti solar plant is the first utility scale plant in Malawi that is integrated with a battery energy storage system.