Sudan's chronic power crisis pushes families toward solar energy

For nearly a year, Randa al-Mansour, a 31-year-old mother of three in Omdurman, has depended on rooftop solar panels to cope with the relentless blackouts that have become a daily reality in war-torn Sudan.

"We are suffering big time," she said, describing how her children often leave for school in the dark and return to a home without power. With temperatures soaring, studying without fans or cooling has become nearly impossible.

Sudan's electricity infrastructure has collapsed under the weight of a conflict that began in April 2023 between the military and the Rapid Support Forces. The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, while also crippling power plants and transmission lines. The United Nations Development Program estimates damage to the grid at $3 billion.

Electricity production has plummeted from 4,400 megawatts before the war to just 1,100 megawatts, according to two electricity department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Drone attacks on power plants and the exodus of nearly half of Sudan's top engineers have compounded the crisis. In many urban areas, outages now stretch up to 16 hours a day.

Solar energy has emerged as a lifeline. Billboards advertising panels, batteries, and inverters now dot the capital, and businesses report growing demand. Mohey Eddin Abu-Bark, who owns a solar systems store in Khartoum, says a typical household 10-kilowatt system costs nearly $5,000 — a steep price in a country where wages are weak and the currency is depreciating.

"For a low-income family, installing a solar panel system is a huge sacrifice but an inevitable choice," he said.

For some, the cost is prohibitive. Manahel Madany, a 43-year-old civil servant with diabetes, cannot afford solar panels. The erratic power supply means her refrigerator often fails, spoiling her insulin supply every few days. She says some pharmacies have also stopped stocking insulin because they too lack reliable electricity or backup power.

The human toll extends beyond households. The Sudan Doctors' Network has warned that continued outages could endanger hospital patients, particularly those requiring dialysis or constant care.

Sudan's solar potential is vast — the country receives more than 4,000 hours of sunshine annually. But the high upfront cost of imported systems and a collapsing local currency continue to block a wider clean-energy transition, leaving many families to endure the heat and darkness with few options.