Gigawatt Grid Solar, Rwanda

Situated on the elevated slopes of Rwamagana District in Rwanda, this project became the largest grid-connected solar park in East Africa following its commissioning in 2014. 

It is expected to deliver an average of more than 15,000 MWh of clean electricity to the Rwandan grid. The project is hosted by the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, which is an orphanage for vulnerable youth, “Agahozo” meaning “where tears are dried” and “Shalom” meaning “peace” in Hebrew.

Sustainable Development Goals: In addition to delivering emissions reductions to help take urgent action to combat climate change (SDG 13), the project delivers a number of other sustainable development benefits. These include:

• Quality Education: Solar PV training courses are provided to the young people.
• Affordable and Clean Energy: The cost of electricity has been lowered through the generation of cheaper, clean energy that is supplied to the national grid, improving electricity access. This also helps directly contribute to national effort to increase Rwanda’s installed renewable energy capacity and therefore leads to a reduction in the cost of importing fuel (an estimated USD 40 million annually).
• Decent Work and Economic Growth: Over 300 jobs have been created during construction phase and another 30 permanent jobs for operation and maintenance of the plant.
• Sustainable Cities and Communities: A long-term and steady income for a youth facility has been created through rental payments from the solar project. This directly benefits 500 students, and enhances long-term financial sustainability of the youth village.