Despite all the efforts to encourage the worldwide implementation of renewable energy projects, very little work has been done regarding solar photovoltaic (PV) in Sudan, although there is evidence of the abundance of solar resources.  In this project, a local business investor based in the Omdurman region of Sudan sought to assess the country’s solar potential across some selected towns in Sudan as part of large-scale investment. As with other projects, our project team led by Dr Fadlallah, a native of Sudan, explored the use of some globally recognised Renewable Energy tools coupled with his understanding of the region. The project’s first phase was focused on investigating the best solar photovoltaic technology available to the region based on other socio-economic dynamics. The second phase involved determining the ideal locations for the installation of the solar technologies. In line with the client’s long-term commitment to climate change, our team was also tasked to comparatively assess the proposed PV plants to a typical power plant of the same capacity using diesel fuel. Finally, an economic analysis was undertaken, including capital cost and payback period. Our assessment showed that implementing a solar PV system instead of a diesel generator could contribute to COE savings of around USD$ 0.87484/kWh and avoid the generation of almost 27 million kg/year of pollutants.

Moreover, due to the relatively low COE, high intensity of solar radiation and the clearness indices that characterise the assessed regions, the project discovered that Wawa, followed by Kutum, Wadi Halfa, Dongola and Al-Goled, stood out distinctively as the finest sites for solar energy utilisation.  Our team has since this project been commissioned to evaluate the prospects of wind with these same regions.  Extracts from the report are presented below. A scientific paper has also been presented to the larger scientific community on the back of this project (See Link)