By: Green building Africa

Cameroon and Zambia have both launched new solar minigrid projects to expand electricity access in rural communities Cameroon's Ministry of Water and Energy inaugurated two solar plants in the villages of Songmimbias and Nkelassi in Mefou-et-Akono department last week The installations each span over 900 square meters and are equipped with 1613 kWh lithium batteries with a combined power network of 44 kilometers that will provide reliable energy to 270 households

These solar arrays form part of Cameroon's wider electrification program aiming to bring energy to 1000 rural towns The country's electrification rate stood at around 72 percent as of 2023 but lags significantly in rural areas where access remains around 25 percent According to ministry figures the electrification program has already built 350 solar plants bringing electricity access to 27500 households with an ongoing third phase set to commission 87 additional solar power plants with capacities ranging between 216 kW and 1836 kW

In Zambia the government commissioned four solar minigrids in Kapiri Mposhi district in late September delivering electricity to more than 2600 households schools health centers and small businesses This project was implemented through Zambia's Rural Electrification Authority and forms part of broader government plans to install 1000 minigrids across the country with 55 sites already completed through a mixture of public and private support as of September

According to the Africa Solar Industry Association Cameroon currently has 70 MW of operational solar capacity including 141 MW of solar minigrids while Zambia has 391 MW of operational solar with 192 MW consisting of solar minigrids and solar home systems Both countries face significant rural electrification challenges with Zambia's rural electricity access standing at just 176 percent in 2023 according to CEIC data