Solar Power
Tanzania has a solar power installed capacity of just 26 MW when its total installed power capacity is 1,605.86 MW, mostly coming from gas, hydro, and petrol.
Tanzania’s sunshine hours per year range between 2,800 and 3,500 with global horizontal radiation of 4–7kWh per m2 per day.
Given that, the Tanzanian Government supports solar development within the country by removing VAT and import taxes on the main solar components (panels, batteries, inverters, and regulators).
Solar resources in Tanzania are especially present in the central region, and they are being exploited for both off-grid and grid-connected solutions.
Tanzania Off-Grid Solar PV
Off-grid solar PV has been installed in Tanzania for various applications in schools, hospitals, health centres, police posts, small telecommunications enterprises and households, as well as for street lighting.
More than half of this capacity is utilized by households in peri-urban and rural areas.
In 2019, the World Bank (WB) signed a grant agreement with the Government of Tanzania amounting to USD 4.5 million to finance the access to a sustainable water supply through improved solar pumping systems in 165 rural Tanzanian villages.
Tanzania Grid-Connected Solar PV
In central Tanzania, 1 MWp of solar PV generates about 1,800 MWh per year and requires about 1 hectare of land. Theoretically, solar PV could generate large shares of electricity.
“Given that large-scale, grid-tied solar PV installations are being undertaken in some countries for under USD 1,750 per kWp, its prospects in Tanzania should be excellent,” the African Development Bank (AfDB) indicates.
