Where to buy solar photovoltaic panels in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Accounting for a total operating power of 83 kW, the DRC has a total of 836 solar photovoltaic systems installed, with the government looking at increasing capacity significantly.

Despite the DRC's immense endowment of varied renewable energy potential which includes hydroelectric, biomass, solar, wind and geothermal power, the current installed generating capacity is approximately 2,844 MW, providing access to merely 19% of its nearly 85 million-strong population.

Wind Meanwhile, potential for wind energy in the DRC is also significant and largely untapped. Offering a potential of 15 GW, with wind speeds averaging 6-6.6m/s throughout the country, there are a number of high potential areas where wind power could be leveraged across the country.

The DRC's energy mix is comprised primarily of hydroelectric power, with the bulk of the country's domestic generation produced from the country's Inga I and Inga II dams located in the Kongo Central Province, boasting an installed capacity of 351 MW and 1,424 MW, respectively, for a combined capacity of 1,775 MW.

Situated approximately 10km from Bakavu, the capital of the South Kivu Province, the solar plant was constructed by GoShop, the largest distributor of large solar systems in the country.

The Congo River has the potential to bring up to 100,000 MW of hydropower capacity to the DRC, representing approximately 6% of the global energy potential and 37% of Africa's overall potential.