Business
Rwanda launches East Africa’s first commercial solar field
Gigawatt Global has committed to spending US$2 billion to generate 1,000 megawatts of solar power in Africa by 2020 after launching the largest photovoltaic field in East Africa at a village in Rwanda.
African nations are racing to mobilize funds to invest in new power plants and utilities after decades of under-investment in infrastructure left large segments of their populations without electricity – and thus negatively impacting productivity.
Located 60 kilometers (37 miles) outside the capital of Kigali, the solar field built at a cost of US$23.7 million will produce 8.5 megawatts and increase Rwanda’s power generation capacity by about 6 percent. The money was raised from equity investors and lenders, in addition to strong incentives from the government.
Source: Reuters