Policy gap leads to costly solar power

Contractors install equipment at the Garrisa solar power plant owned by the Rural Electrification Authority. The plant targets to produce 55MW of power. [Kunow Abdullahi, Standard]

The energy industry regulator is grappling with the conflict between reduction in the cost of solar power equipment and a policy framework that does not provide for the lower capital investments.

The result is that cost of electricity from privately-owned solar power plants that are expected to start feeding into the national electricity grid in the coming months does not correspond with the steep decline in the cost of solar equipment in the last decade.