Keeping Africa’s solar future bright with repair and reuse

Solar power has transformed life across Africa, but as millions of panels and lights break down, local repair initiatives are stepping up to keep communities powered and reduce waste.

Peter Yeung reports for Reasons To Be Cheerful.

In short:

Africa’s solar capacity has grown nearly tenfold since 2014, but an estimated 75% of off-grid solar products in sub-Saharan Africa no longer function, leading to mounting waste and energy access issues.
SolarAid, a nonprofit, is training “solar entrepreneurs” and repair agents in Zambia and Malawi to fix broken solar devices, extending their lifespan and creating jobs in local communities.
Repairing solar equipment, rather than replacing it, is a model the Global North could learn from, but barriers like limited spare parts and manufacturer resistance pose challenges.

Key quote:

“It’s short-sighted to think all we have to do is install a bunch of panels and it stops there.”

— Tobias Hanrath, professor of engineering at Cornell University

Why this matters:

Repairing instead of replacing creates jobs, strengthens energy security and challenges the throwaway culture that dominates wealthier nations. But to thrive, Africa’s solar revolution needs a system that values keeping things running over tossing them away.

Keeping Africa’s solar future bright with repair and reuse

EU countries are bailing out fossil fuels instead of funding the green transition, Greenpeace warns

Experts: You have some power to reduce your AI environmental footprint

Indigenous cultural practices are a climate solution, report finds

Carbon captured

After a civil rights complaint, Chicago built an extensive air-monitoring network

Trump’s Energy Secretary says ‘cold is larger killer’ during record European heatwave

'Flesh-eating' bacteria threat spreads on Europe's beaches as seas warm

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.