More in general, the development objectives of the Lesotho energy sector are in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , adopted by the United Nations Member States in 2015.
The major internal energy sources in Lesotho are biomass, in all forms, and hydropower. Fossil fuels are totally imported from South Africa. Lesotho imports about 40% of electricity to meet the electricity demand [14, 15], while considering the overall energy balance the dependency rate exceeds 60% .
From a technical standpoint RE sources appear particularly suited to the context of Lesotho because of the scalability of technical solutions available for energy production, that may range from large scale on-grid plants to distributed off-grid solution as mini- and micro-hydro, solar home systems (SHS) or small wind turbines.
Non-self-sufficiency to satisfy the internal energy demand. The major internal energy sources in Lesotho are biomass, in all forms, and hydropower. Fossil fuels are totally imported from South Africa.
In fact, Lesotho currently has a deficit in local electricity production that could be significantly reduced by the exploitation of RE sources abundantly available in the country (hydro, solar, and wind).
Despite the recent considerable growth, the overall electricity access rate in Lesotho does not exceed 50% of population. In addition, the households’ electrification is not equally distributed over the country, with access rates estimated at 71% in urban centres and 38% in rural areas, according to 2018 World Bank data .