The first utility-scale solar power plant in East Africa is now open in Rwanda.

Built in the shape of the African continent, the solar farm is expected to generate enough power to supply 15,000 homes and boost Rwanda’s electricity generation capacity by 6%.

The $23.7 million (£15.7m) project is located at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) – which cares for Rwanda’s most vulnerable children orphaned before and after the 1994 Rwandan genocide – and has a total capacity of 8.5MW.

Developer Gigawatt Global will also provide training on solar power to students at the village.

Chaim Motzen, Gigawatt Global Co-Founder and Managing Director said: “Our project proves the viability of financing and building large-scale solar fields in sub-Saharan Africa and we hope that this solar field serves as a catalyst for many more sustainable energy projects in the region.”

Electricity from the solar farm will be fed into the national grid under a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Rwanda Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA).

Truong Duy