Malawi is beginning to change one of the defining features of its electricity system: its heavy dependence on hydropower. For decades, the country has relied overwhelmingly on hydroelectric generation, leaving electricity supply vulnerable to drought, falling water levels and climate variability. Now, a first wave of utility-scale solar projects is beginning to add a new source of power to the grid.
The shift is being led by projects including the 60 MW Salima Solar plant, the 20 MW Golomoti Solar plant, which is paired with a 5 MW/10 MWh battery, and the 21 MW Nkhotakota Solar project. Together, they represent more than 100 MW of installed or developing solar capacity and mark an important step in diversifying Malawi’s generation mix.
Malawi’s electricity system has historically been dominated by hydropower. That created a structural vulnerability: when water availability falls, electricity generation falls with it. Solar offers a different resource profile. Malawi receives substantial solar irradiation, allowing large PV plants to generate electricity during daylight hours while reducing pressure on hydro resources.
The country’s emerging solar portfolio includes:
- Salima Solar — 60 MW
- Developed by JCM Power and InfraCo Africa.
- Commissioned in 2021.
- Connected to the national grid under a long-term power purchase agreement.
- Golomoti Solar — 20 MW
- Developed by JCM Power.
- Located in Dedza District.
- Includes a 5 MW/10 MWh battery energy storage system.
- The project became one of the early examples of utility-scale solar-plus-storage in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Nkhotakota Solar — 21 MW
- Developed by Serengeti Energy.
- Located in Nkhotakota District.
- Connected to the grid through a 66 kV substation.
- EGENCO Salima — 50 MW planned in phases
- Being developed by Malawi’s state-owned generation company.
- The project is intended to add further solar capacity to the system.
One of the more important developments is happening at Golomoti. The project combines solar generation with a 5 MW/10 MWh battery storage system. That matters because solar has an obvious limitation: it does not generate electricity after sunset. A battery allows some of the electricity generated during the day to be shifted to other periods.
Read Also: How Renewable Electricity Is Being Turned Into Jet Fuel
It can also provide services that a solar panel alone cannot, including:
- absorbing excess generation;
- responding quickly to changes in demand;
- helping regulate frequency;
- supporting voltage stability; and
- reducing the need to curtail solar output.
This becomes increasingly important as more solar is connected to a relatively small electricity system. Malawi is therefore beginning to demonstrate a broader lesson emerging across African power markets: adding renewable generation is only part of the transition. The grid must also become capable of managing it.
The strategic benefit of solar is not necessarily that it will replace hydropower. It can complement it. During periods of strong sunlight, solar can supply part of the daytime electricity requirement while allowing hydro resources to be conserved. That becomes particularly valuable when rainfall is poor. Instead of relying almost entirely on one weather-dependent resource, Malawi can gradually build a portfolio combining:
- hydropower;
- solar;
- battery storage;
- other renewable generation; and
- regional electricity imports where available.
That diversification reduces the consequences of any single resource underperforming.
More solar does not automatically mean a simpler electricity system. As solar penetration rises, Malawi will have to manage increasingly variable electricity production. A cloud passing over a large PV installation can cause output to fall quickly. At sunset, solar generation disappears altogether.
That creates a need for:
- battery storage;
- better forecasting;
- flexible generation;
- stronger transmission networks;
- modern grid controls; and
- mechanisms for balancing supply and demand.
This is why the development of storage alongside solar is particularly significant. The question is becoming: How much solar can Malawi’s grid absorb reliably and economically?
Malawi’s emerging solar fleet is still modest compared with much larger African power markets. But its importance is greater than the capacity numbers suggest. The country is moving from a system where hydropower dominates toward one where different technologies can perform complementary roles.
Solar can provide cheap daytime electricity. Hydropower can provide dispatchable generation and flexibility. Batteries can provide rapid balancing and shift electricity across hours. Transmission improvements can allow the system to move power to where it is needed. Together, these technologies can make the grid more resilient than relying on a single generation source.
