Rwanda: Inside Plan to Buy Solar Power From Households

What the report says

AllAfrica, citing The New Times in Kigali, reported that Rwanda’s government is considering a framework under which households, businesses and institutions with rooftop solar systems could sell unused electricity to the national grid. Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva outlined the idea while addressing concerns that 11 cells countrywide still do not have electricity access, saying rising demand from population growth requires Rwanda to keep adding generation sources.

Nsengiyumva said the plan would let consumers first use the power they produce and then have Rwanda Energy Group buy the surplus for the grid. He also pointed to other generation efforts, including the 43.5MW Nyabarongo II hydropower plant, a proposed 200MW floating solar project, methane gas from Lake Kivu and expansion of the Hakan peat power plant. REG told The New Times the rooftop-solar initiative is not yet under its management; the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority is overseeing it at this stage, but had not provided details by publication time.

Francine Munyaneza, founder and CEO of Munyax Eco, told the paper such a model would require smart grid-connected systems and meters that track both electricity drawn from REG and power exported back. She said customers might receive bill credits or payments, while batteries could be useful in some cases but would not be necessary for every installation. She cited net-metering or surplus-payment models in countries including the United States, Germany, India, Australia, South Africa and Kenya as possible reference points.

The report said clear regulation will be central, including rules on eligibility, metering, equipment, safety, payments and how much distributed power local networks can absorb. Munyaneza also flagged upfront costs, financing, approval processes for larger systems, and future recycling of panels and batteries as issues to address.