Sudan's prolonged war and worsening electricity crisis are driving more residents to turn to solar power, but the high cost of installing solar systems is putting the alternative energy source beyond the reach of many households.
For 31-year-old housewife Randa al-Mansour, solar panels installed on the roof of her building have provided a lifeline through repeated power outages in Omdurman, just outside Khartoum.
She said the frequent blackouts have made daily life particularly difficult for her three children, who often return home from school because there is no electricity to run classrooms or fans.
Sudan's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people and displaced around 13 million, according to figures cited by The Associated Press.
The war has also severely damaged the country's already fragile electricity infrastructure. The UN Development Programme estimates that damage to the power grid has reached about $3 billion.
As outages become increasingly frequent, advertisements for solar panels, batteries and inverters have become common across the capital.
But the cost remains a major barrier. Mohey Eddin Abu-Bark, who runs a solar systems business in Khartoum, said a typical 10-kilowatt household system costs nearly $5,000.
“For a low-income family, installing a solar panel system is a huge sacrifice but an inevitable choice,” he said.
Many Sudanese families cannot afford such an investment. Manahel Madany, a 43-year-old civil servant with diabetes, said power cuts and extreme heat have repeatedly ruined her insulin supply because she cannot afford a solar system to keep her refrigerator running.
She said she is sometimes forced to discard her insulin every few days after it spoils.
The electricity crisis is also affecting the availability and storage of medicines. Madany said many pharmacies cannot afford solar systems needed to maintain proper storage conditions, contributing to shortages of essential drugs.
The Sudan Doctors' Network has warned that prolonged power outages could have serious consequences for hospitals and patients, particularly those requiring continuous treatment such as kidney patients.
According to the World Bank, about 30% of Sudan's population has no access to electricity, with rural communities particularly affected. Even in urban areas connected to the national grid, outages have reportedly lasted as long as 16 hours a day in recent months.
Electricity generation has fallen sharply since the war began. Two electricity officials told AP that production has dropped from around 4,400 megawatts before the conflict to about 1,100 megawatts.
They said several power plants have been damaged by drone attacks attributed to the RSF. Nearly half of the country's electricity engineers and technicians have also left Sudan since 2023, according to a survey by a local labour union.
The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to speak publicly.
Sudan has strong potential for solar power, with the country receiving more than 4,000 hours of sunshine annually in some areas, according to the United Nations.
However, the high initial cost of imported solar equipment, combined with the depreciation of Sudan's currency, continues to make the transition to solar energy difficult for millions of people.