Miami, UNITED STATES | AFP | Eclipse-chasers are a dedicated crew of scientists who travel the globe to catch a few moments in eerie darkness, and even after seeing dozens of eclipses, they say they can’t get enough. Also known as “umbraphiles,” these self-described addicts live their lives in pursuit of …
Read More »Facts about the US solar eclipse on August 21
Miami, UNITED STATES | AFP |On Monday, August 21, for the first time in 99 years, a total solar eclipse will march across the entire United States. “The Great American Eclipse” will cast a shadow over the whole country, moving diagonally from Oregon in the northwest to South Carolina in …
Read More »Jump in renewable energy jobs worldwide, says IRENA
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP | The renewable energy sector employed 9.8 million people worldwide in 2016, marking a sharp increase from 2012, the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency said on Wednesday. In its “Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2017”, IRENA says the sector employed …
Read More »Ghana seeks new dawn for struggling power sector
Accra, Ghana | AFP | Ghana’s new government is looking to fix a crippling power crisis with a complete overhaul of its deficit-ridden energy sector including a boost for solar energy. Intermittent power supply issues have dogged the west African nation since the 1980s and became particularly acute in the …
Read More »Rapper Akon in Gambia, lights up two African nations
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Cliched rappers spend money on bling and cars, but Senegalese-American artist Akon is looking skywards to splash his cash, investing in solar power projects across Africa. The rapper added The Gambia and Cape Verde to his Akon Lighting Africa initiative this weekend, a fund …
Read More »UEGCL secures Norwegian expertise to boost solar energy capacity
Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) has struck a partnership with a Norwegian company W. Giertsen that will boost cooperation in the area of developing renewable energy projects. Officials of W.Giertsen Energy Solutions were in Kampala recently to conclude a Memorandum of Understating (MOU), whose main objective is to outline how UEGCL will cooperate with the …
Read More »East Africa’s biggest solar plant beams hope to rural Uganda
Soroti, Uganda | AFP | When power goes out in the rural town of Soroti in eastern Uganda, store manager Hussein Samsudin can only hope it won’t go on so long it spoils his fresh goods. Another shop owner, Richard Otekat, 37, has to pay a neighbour hourly to use …
Read More »East Africa’s biggest solar plant launched
Residents of the eastern Uganda town of Soroti may be set to enjoy more stable and affordable power supply following the commissioning of East Africa’s largest solar power plant in the district. The $19million power plant, which is Uganda’s first gridconnected solar plant, will generate 10MW of power, with the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Africa looks to solar for communities off the grid
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Above the sacks of seeds and coal, three kerosene lamps gather dust in the tiny shed that Kenyan chicken farmer Bernard calls home. He prefers to use solar energy to light up his evenings, listen to the radio or watch television, after abandoning a diesel …
Read More »Tesla expands its portfolio to produce solar roof tiles
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Electric carmaker Tesla has diversified into the alternative energy business, on Friday unveiling solar roofs for environmentally friendly homes. “Global warming is a serious crisis and we need to do something about that,” company founder Elon Musk said during a news conference at …
Read More »