This objective can be achieved through the development of solar energy production in Burkina Faso, a country with an estimated solar irradiation of 5.5 kWh/m 2 /day. The construction of the ZGCPVS plant has played a significant role in expanding the available electricity supply and reducing the production cost per kilowatt-hour.
The Zagtouli Grid-Connected Solar PV System Socioeconomic Impacts The initial step in providing electricity access to people is to increase the supply while reducing costs. This objective can be achieved through the development of solar energy production in Burkina Faso, a country with an estimated solar irradiation of 5.5 kWh/m 2 /day.
In 2020, the combined electricity generation from the Zagtouli and Ziga plants will account for nearly 3% of the country’s total electricity production. Figure 1 and Figure 2, presented below, illustrate the annual installed solar PV capacity worldwide and in Burkina Faso, respectively, from 2011 to 2020 . Figure 1.
According to the 2020 report from Burkina Faso’s National Electricity Company (SONABEL), the national electricity generation fleet’s nominal installed capacity at the end of 2020 was 366.05 MW. The distribution of this capacity was as follows: 299.95 MW from fuel thermal generation, 32 MW from hydroelectric power, and 34.1 MW from solar PV.
The report highlights the dominance of thermal power generation using fossil fuels and the persistent shortfall in meeting growing electricity demand. More than half of the electricity consumed in Burkina Faso is imported from neighboring countries like Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
It can be seen that the capacity factor is globally proportional to the solar irradiation of the site; it is also closely related to the energy cost; and it demonstrates that the cost of PV electricity is very interesting in a high-sunset area like Zagtouli when compared to other less sunny areas.