Botswana VP says country aims higher with solar energy goals

Botswanan Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe speaks during the National Renewable Energy Dialogue in Gaborone, Botswana, on Nov. 13, 2024. Gaolathe has encouraged renewable energy leaders to dream big and set greater targets to position Botswana as Africa’s solar energy leader.(Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)
GABORONE, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) — Botswanan Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe has encouraged renewable energy leaders to dream big and set greater targets to position Botswana as Africa’s solar energy leader.
Gaolathe told the National Renewable Energy Dialogue in Gaborone, the capital, that the previous government had set a target of raising renewable energy to 30 percent of the country’s energy mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2036. The capacity of solar was to reach 1,200 megawatts by 2026/2027.
“We, as the incoming government, are saying we can dream higher than that: 1,200 megawatts are far from enough,” he said. “We believe that this country has the potential to be producing 8,000 megawatts of power for export.”
He said Botswana has one of the highest solar radiation exposure rates in the world, with 3,200 hours of sunshine per year. ■