With the widespread deterioration of Sudan's electricity grid following the outbreak of war, the energy crisis transformed into an economic dilemma affecting production, water, agriculture, and daily livelihoods. Amid this void, solar energy rose from a limited, secondary option to a practical solution relied upon by families, as well as the agricultural, industrial, and service sectors.
Currently, the local economic landscape cannot be understood without considering the growing role of solar energy as a semi-permanent alternative, especially in areas where electricity has completely gone out of service.
Banking expert Salah Osman says the damage to 40% of Sudan's electricity system has made solar energy a key driver of the productive economy. This trend has directly affected banking credit policies, with banks now financing entire value chains to assure production continuity and prevent disruptions. This, Osman says, is particularly evident in agriculture since it reduces fuel consumption and accelerates return on investment.
A potential farming solution
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Abdel Rahman, a farmer from the Abu Hamad locality in River Nile State, recounts his experience with the energy crisis as one of the biggest challenges that threatened his continued farming recently. "I entered each planting season burdened with anxiety, as I couldn't be sure I would be able to complete it, given my complete reliance on a gasoline-powered generator to irrigate my five feddans." Abdel Rahman explains that irrigation used to mean consuming a jerrycan of gasoline daily, a cost paid upfront before any return was seen, at a time when fuel had become scarce, in addition to the generator's frequent breakdowns.
With the outbreak of war, the crisis worsened due to the sharp rise in gasoline prices and its scarcity, coupled with the near-total absence of electricity. This, he says, forced him to search for any alternative that would ensure his survival. He points out that solar energy was not a luxury but a desperate solution, as he was compelled to sell part of his harvest and take out a loan to install a small solar system to power his water pump. According to Abdul Rahman, the system consists of eight Ginko solar panels with a two-phase inverter to power a three-horsepower water pump. The total cost, including installation, was approximately 3.5 million Sudanese pounds (nearly US$ 6,000).
Abdel Rahman affirms that the shift to solar energy has had a direct impact on production, as irrigation has become regular and no longer dependent on fuel availability, market fluctuations, or external intervention. He says that consistent irrigation enabled him, within a single season, to expand his cultivated area from five to eight feddans and to grow summer crops for the first time without interruption. He also notes that operating costs have decreased significantly, as the burden of fuel has disappeared, and maintenance has been reduced to a minimum, making him feel--as he puts it--that the balance sheet is finally in his favour. Abdel Rahman believes that solar energy is not just an improvement in working conditions but a vital factor for survival; he emphasises that relying on a generator would have forced him to abandon farming.
He notes that his experiment has attracted the attention of his fellow farmers, who visit him to examine the system and enquire about its effectiveness. He says he answers them clearly: the initial cost is high, but in the long run, it represents the least possible loss in a country where guarantees are lacking. He adds that, unlike everything else, no one can take the sun away from them.
Solar for the few
But not all areas of Sudan can access affordable solar power systems. Nimarq Al-Jak, from Abu Karshola in South Kordofan State, describes the energy situation in her city as an old, recurring crisis. The town of 30,000 previously relied on a large central generator that ran on gasoline. Residents would pay every two months to keep the generator going, but fuel shortages led to the generator's shutdown. Its location at the city's entrance became a deserted site. The local administration later took over the electricity office.
In this context, a few families have managed to invest in some simple systems - providing roughly four hours of power per day, often used for televisions and charging phones. Some families, if they have batteries with larger capacities, can even power refrigerators for limited periods. But most families remain in the dark since a single solar panel costs around 500,000-600,000 Sudanese pounds (roughly US$800-$1,000), a price few residents can afford.
Nevertheless, the price of solar energy systems has dropped over the past two years due to access to solar panels and storage systems, says Mohammed Hassan, a veteran in the electrical field.
In pursuit of water
Abbas Mahjoub, a former civil servant in eastern Khartoum, recalls the moment they decided solar power represented the best solution for their power problems. "It was clear that the return of electricity was not imminent [in Khartoum], which prompted the local community to search for realistic alternatives." Abbas explains that the situation at that time was dire, as fuel had become expensive and scarce, to the point that operating a single 100-horsepower water well required two barrels of gasoline daily--a burden beyond the area's capacity to bear.
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Solar power seemed the only option. The initiative was presented to the local authorities, and a donation drive was launched among the residents, while simultaneously contacting a Chinese company to design a solar system capable of powering the water wells. In a joint effort between the organisations and the East Nile Local Water Administration, two solar power systems with capacities of 100 and 50 horsepower have been installed to operate two wells that serve more than 50,000 people. Notably, these two systems are among the largest solar energy projects in the entire East Nile region.
Despite this success, Abbas emphasises that low incomes and the high cost of the system continue to limit households' reliance on solar energy. He also cautions that the market's influx of low-quality goods may soon harm the economy and environment.
