(Photo by Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)
Chad, a landlocked country in central Africa, is expanding solar power to address its chronic electricity shortage. This development comes from a 2025 government plan to invest in solar power, with a target of 520 MW by 2030. Chad is largely rural and has a few industrial hubs, which makes a large-scale push, like this, notable.
Solar panels are a practical power source to rely on in the country. With their ability to scale, be used in isolated areas, and their cost-effectiveness, solar panels are Chad’s next energy decision that could deliver extreme benefits.
For Chad, this push towards renewable energy, and specifically solar, marks a trend among countries responding to falling solar costs and energy insecurity and pushing solar as a means to expand access to electricity and its benefits. The technology has the potential to shape new relationships between energy, governance, and communities.
Energy Needs and Constraints
As a country with a large rural population covering a vast area, Chad’s energy needs are mixed. Large cities, like the capital N’Djamena, have local power plants. On the other hand, rural areas largely have no or limited access to electricity. This geographic reality means that, compared to other countries, there were few projects to expand access to electricity due to the low population density and the need to stretch power lines far from the plants.
With only about 8% of the population having access to electricity, expanding access remains a major goal. Electricity enables more consistent access to services in education, health, and information through quality-of-life technologies.
As a large, rural country, other forms of renewable energy can be harder to scale because suitable sites are limited to the extent of developments in their vicinity. Chad is well-suited for solar energy due to its open spaces and plentiful sunshine, allowing the country to build large solar panel arrays. Compared to hydroelectric and wind, which often require more specific locations to be effective, solar can be used in largely deserted areas, unlike those other main sources of renewable energy.
(Map by Solargis via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 4.0 DEED)
In addition, the cost of solar infrastructure is often lower and faster to deploy at a small scale than that of hydroelectric and wind turbine infrastructure. With countries such as China producing large quantities of affordable solar panel technology and other countries looking to invest in renewable energy projects, global conditions make it easier to advance solar project plans across the globe.
Skipping the Queue with Solar Adoption
Chad’s solar expansion is being driven in part by projects financed through external funding. Without major investments in fossil fuel industries, the cost of transitioning to solar energy is likely lower, enabling more sustainable growth in a country still largely without electricity. In addition, a landlocked country such as Chad may benefit from reducing exposure to imported fuels and price shocks. Much of the global supply of solar panels is manufactured in China, and Chinese firms are active in solar markets across Africa. This may deepen trade ties with China, including more energy-related goods and services.
A key challenge is governance. Reporting has raised concerns about transparency and oversight in how development funds are allocated and tracked. It remains to be seen whether this is a new leaf for Chad’s government in actually sustaining renewable energy growth. With outside financing, projects may be more likely to reach completion than those relying on domestic funding. Ensuring grid capacity will be critical to enabling solar generation to expand without a bottleneck.
Renewable energy, especially off-grid solar, could change how communities relate to government and public services. Some argue that energy systems can shape governance incentives. In Chad, decentralised solar could reduce reliance on state-provided electricity in rural areas. In rural parts of the country, off-grid solar has expanded electricity access, reducing reliance on grid expansion alone.
Rural Energy Boost
In Chad, solar energy is a practical alternative to fossil fuels at the micro level due to the availability of smaller panels and accompanying infrastructure. Compared to gas-powered generators or burning fuels, solar-powered electricity provides access to electricity with less dependence on fuels, price fluctuations, and the need to transport fuels.
Solar panels provide relatively consistent power during daylight hours, can be relocated with minimal effort, and, if not connected to a grid, their costs are largely limited to the initial purchase and ongoing maintenance. Solar kits distributed to communities in Chad have provided cost relief to people and more consistent access to electricity, with benefits to healthcare, schooling, and other community resources. For example, many classes for children occur later in the evening when temperatures are too hot. On this, access to lighting from solar also enables consistent schooling.
(Photo by David Stanley via Fickr/CC BY 2.0 DEED)
In addition to the economic benefits, solar panels provide independence for a rural country such as Chad. While access to parts and knowledge is important, the panels themselves could reduce reliance on fuel supplies. The main issue with solar panels is whether to service them through companies rather than purchase them outright. Depending on their use, this might be unaffordable in the long run. As such, how solar access is financed and maintained will play a major role in shaping Chad’s future.
New Frontiers of Energy Growth
Chad’s decision to pursue solar expansion in both large-scale industrial solar and rural micro-solar projects has reshaped its electrification strategy and offers a model for other low-access countries. Renewables have expanded across developing countries as solar costs have fallen and financing has become more available.
In rural areas, solar can expand access faster than grid extensions in the short-term, often at a lower upfront cost than large centralised projects. It is a growing technology with many possibilities for scaling up. Compared to many other countries, Chad is largely rural and non-industrial. Yet it is still pursuing new solar projects, suggesting that solar costs are increasingly competitive with fossil fuel and other renewable projects.
Edited by Atena Abbasourbenis
