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.
Read more:
Electronic waste from just this year will outweigh the Great Wall of China.
