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REC has announced to enter numerous markets in Africa, beginning with ECOWAS, East and South African regions. With solar power uptake on the African continent predicted to surge over the coming years – 100GW of solar installations are forecasted by 2030 – REC is confident that the company is in an excellent starting position as the solar industry in Africa gathers pace.
Reflecting the demand for solar energy, REC forecasts 75-100MW to be installed in the utility segment in 2016 in Ghana, 10MW in commercial and 1-2MW in residential.
Luc Graré, Senior Vice President EMEA at REC, describes the outlook and challenges ahead: "Africa's greatest growth challenge is energy, and there's a serious need to quickly get additional generation capacity in place to meet increasing energy demands. We expect around 100 GW of solar panels to be installed in the region by 2030, with residential markets and turnkey solutions offering particularly good opportunities. However, financing of investments is generally critical, so it's vital to choose a supplier that is highly bankable. As the financially most stable solar panel manufacturer worldwide, our customers can rely on REC's sustainable business. Our long-term success is based on highly reliable REC solar panels, even in the harshest climate conditions."
REC will begin by opening regional hubs this year and next in the ECOWAS, East and South African regions. To accommodate the markets' demand for small-scale off-grid power generation systems, REC will be offering kit solutions for residential installations and solar hybrid boxes for 20-50kW installations.
The company also plans to introduce the programs and structures that have made its business so successful around the world. REC is also setting up the REC Academy, who will in turn train local solar professionals and seed REC's long-standing experience and expertise into the region. REC will participate at South African Solar Show next year.