# Solar and wind power in Somalia

> Solar and wind power in Somalia in facts: how much is installed, the main plants and tenders, the World Bank projects, sunshine and wind potential, and how it fits with diesel.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/economy/solar-and-wind-power/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Diesel and the switch to solar

In December 2021 the World Bank said about **90 percent** of Somalia's electricity came from isolated diesel mini-grids run by private companies, and that about 9 million of Somalia's 15 million people had no electricity. It approved **$150 million** for the Somalia Electricity Recovery Project, to bring cheaper and cleaner power to 1.1 million households and to power 205 health centres and 380 schools ([World Bank, 9 December 2021](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/12/09/a-150-million-electricity-recovery-project-aims-to-help-light-up-somalia)). For prices and suppliers, see [Electricity in Somalia](/en/economy/electricity/) and the [electricity companies directory](/en/businesses/electricity-companies-directory/).

## How much is installed

- **51 MW** of solar panels at the end of 2023, up from **47 MW** at the end of 2022, according to IRENA figures reported by pv magazine ([pv magazine, Patrick Jowett, 7 February 2025](http://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/02/07/somalia-opens-solar-plus-storage-tender/)).
- Wikipedia, citing the World Economic Forum, gives about 100 MW of solar and wind out of about 400 MW of total capacity in 2025, and about 10 percent of electricity from renewables ([Wikipedia, Solar power in Somalia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Somalia)).
- The country gets 5 to 7 kWh of sunlight per square metre a day and over 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, according to the Somalia Investment Promotion Office as cited by Wikipedia (same source).

## The plants

| Plant | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Garowe, 2016 | Somalia's first hybrid solar and wind plant | [Wikipedia, citing LifeGate 2016](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Somalia) |
| BECO, Mogadishu, 2020 | 8 MWp solar plant supplying four hours a day; BECO aimed to reach 100 MWp for $40 million. BECO then had 35 MW of capacity against an estimated demand of 200 MW | [SONNA, June 2020](https://sonna.so/en/beco-builds-8-mwp-solar-power-plant-in-mogadishu/) |
| Jazeera, Mogadishu, tendered 2025 | 55 MW of solar with a 160 MWh battery store, under the World Bank's ASCENT programme (Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation in Somalia) | [pv magazine, 7 February 2025](http://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/02/07/somalia-opens-solar-plus-storage-tender/) |
| Other 2025 tenders | A 10 MW solar plant with 20 MWh of batteries, and off-grid solar with batteries for 28 schools and colleges in two regions | [pv magazine, 2025](http://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/02/07/somalia-opens-solar-plus-storage-tender/) |
| Berbera, 2026 | A 5 MW solar plant, as reported by Ecofin Agency | [Wikipedia, citing Ecofin Agency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Somalia) |

## Why batteries matter

BECO's chief engineer, Mohamud Farah, told reporters in 2020: "Unless we have batteries to store electricity, we can't stop using fossil fuels" ([SONNA, 2020](https://sonna.so/en/beco-builds-8-mwp-solar-power-plant-in-mogadishu/)). The 2025 tenders all pair panels with battery storage ([pv magazine, 2025](http://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/02/07/somalia-opens-solar-plus-storage-tender/)).

## Wind

The African Development Bank estimates that Somalia could produce 30,000 to 45,000 MW from renewables, mostly from onshore wind, according to [SONNA](/en/institutions/state-media/) ([SONNA, 2020](https://sonna.so/en/beco-builds-8-mwp-solar-power-plant-in-mogadishu/)).

## Sources disagree

- **BECO's first plant.** SONNA reported an 8 MWp plant in 2020 ([SONNA](https://sonna.so/en/beco-builds-8-mwp-solar-power-plant-in-mogadishu/)). Wikipedia describes a 10 MW plant built in 2020 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Somalia)).
- **How much solar there is.** IRENA counted 51 MW of solar at the end of 2023 ([pv magazine](http://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/02/07/somalia-opens-solar-plus-storage-tender/)); the World Economic Forum figure cited by Wikipedia is about 100 MW of solar and wind in 2025 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Somalia)).

For solar and wind firms, see [Somali solar and wind companies](/en/businesses/somali-solar-and-wind-companies/).

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