Sudan's war-damaged grid failure drives families to costly solar power

Sudan’s war-damaged electricity grid is driving residents to adopt rooftop solar systems as blackouts disrupt schooling, household life and medical care. In Omdurman, Randa al-Mansour relies on solar power for her children, who otherwise return home from schools without electricity in the extreme heat. Fighting between the military and Rapid Support Forces since April 2023 has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced about 13 million and damaged power infrastructure, with grid capacity reportedly falling from roughly 4,400 megawatts before the war to about 1,100 megawatts. Solar equipment is increasingly advertised in Khartoum, but a typical household system costs nearly $5,000, putting it beyond the reach of many low-income families. The shortage has serious health consequences: diabetic civil servant Manahel Madany says repeated outages spoil her insulin because she cannot afford reliable refrigeration, while pharmacies also struggle to preserve medicines.