Is Madagascar ready for solar power?

With all regions of Madagascar enjoying over 2,800 hours of sunlight per year, the Grande Île is the perfect location for development of solar power, with a potential capacity of 2,000 kWh/m²/year. The Government is counting on this potential to fulfill its objective of providing energy access to 70% of Malagasy households by 2030.

How much solar power does Madagascar have?

With only a 15% connection rate, Madagascar faces a chronic lack of access to electricity, which hampers its economic and social development. However, there is tremendous potential in terms of solar power, estimated at 2,000 kWh/m²/year as a result of the 2,800 hours of annual sunlight the country enjoys.

What is Scaling Solar in Madagascar?

Madagascar is currently the fifth country in Africa in which a Scaling Solar tender process was launched, after two tender processes in Zambia, one in Senegal, and another in Ethiopia. It is also the first Scaling Solar project to include solar energy storage requirements by pairing solar with batteries.

What is happening in Madagascar?

Over the past decade, JIRAMA’s customers, both household and industrial alike, have experienced repeated power outages. In Madagascar, only 15% of the population has access to electricity. In 2017, the country had just 570 MW of mainly thermal (60%) and hydroelectric (40%) installed production capacity.

Does Madagascar have a business climate?

In the World Bank Group's Doing Business 2018 report that assesses the business climate, Madagascar ranks 184 out of 190 countries for access to electricity. Keenly aware of this challenge, in 2014, the Government of Madagascar decided to embark on intensive reforms to transform the sector.

How can the government finance large-scale solar plants?

To supplement public funds in order to finance large-scale construction of solar plants by promoting private investment, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, is helping the Government set up a public-private partnership (PPP).