As characterised by ample sunshine with strong solar power potential, South Sudan remains as one of key destinations on African continent for solar energy investment. In addition to this, it has been documented that evolution of solar PV is of great significance in South Sudan.
Several research papers have examined the potential of solar PV in Sudan and especially on rooftops . These studies highlighted the excellent solar PV energy potential the country has due to its high solar irradiation rates and long hours of sunshine. ...
Proponents of solar energy argue that a solar system can produce reliable electricity for about 25 years. Having recognised solar energy potential, South Sudan is expected to put more emphasis on development of solar energy sector as part of its fight against energy poverty and economic diversification.
South Sudan receives about 8 hours of sunshine daily, providing an estimated solar energy capacity of 436W/M2/year (REEP, 2013). Similarly, wind energy density ranges between 285 and 380 W/M2 (REEP, 2013). Both the solar sunshine duration and wind density meet the threshold required to produce high quality electricity.
Given that Sudan is endowed with an extremely high solar irradiation potential, the government has set a target of achieving a 667 MW of PV installed capacity by the end of 2031 ( Murdock et al. 2019 ). This clearly reflects that the latter technology will play a key role in adjusting the electricity crisis of Sudan in the near future.
Ranked 166 out of 187 countries in the human development index, Sudan’s current energy situation is extremely alarming. Biomass resources constitute 62%, electricity 4% and conventional fuels 34% of the total energy supply in Sudan ( Saeed et al. 2019 ). About 70% of Sudan’s population estimated not to have access to electricity.