Sudan’s war-driven blackouts push residents toward costly solar power
Sudan’s deteriorating grid has produced outages lasting up to 16 hours in some urban areas, while damaged power plants and an engineering exodus have cut production. Solar offers an alternative, but imported systems remain unaffordable for many households.
By DoomRadar · Published on DoomRadar . Updated .
Places in the report
- Sudan[1]
Countries named in the cited reporting. Highlighting does not show the area affected. Map: Natural Earth.
How the effects could reach youConditional effects
Based on one source with available article excerpts. Source-linked claims are not independent confirmation.
Event date: The electricity crisis described in the reporting developed during the war that began in April 2023; outages had reached up to 16 hours in many areas in recent months. [1]
What happened
In Omdurman, Randa al-Mansour said rooftop solar panels had helped her family cope with recurrent blackouts for almost a year. She described the outages as affecting children’s schooling because some students returned home when schools had no electricity. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Sudan's war-driven blackouts push residents toward solar power but high costs shut many outmymotherlode.com · Article published: Sep 6, 2026, 11:02 AM UTC
The Associated Press reported that outages had reached up to 16 hours in many parts of Sudan in recent months, according to two electricity department officials. At least 30% of the population had no access to electricity, with rural areas bearing the greatest burden, according to the World Bank. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Sudan's war-driven blackouts push residents toward solar power but high costs shut many outmymotherlode.com · Article published: Sep 6, 2026, 11:02 AM UTC
Electricity production had fallen from 4,400 megawatts before the war to 1,100 megawatts, according to the officials. They said many power plants were hit by drones launched by the Rapid Support Forces, while nearly half of the country’s electricity engineers and technicians had left since 2023, citing a local labor-union survey. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Sudan's war-driven blackouts push residents toward solar power but high costs shut many outmymotherlode.com · Article published: Sep 6, 2026, 11:02 AM UTC
Solar power is technically available because Sudan receives long hours of sunshine, often exceeding 4,000 hours annually, according to the United Nations. But the reporting said imported systems’ upfront cost and the weakening local currency prevent many households from adopting them. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Sudan's war-driven blackouts push residents toward solar power but high costs shut many outmymotherlode.com · Article published: Sep 6, 2026, 11:02 AM UTC
Context from the sources
The crisis affects a country where the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023. The reporting said the conflict had also caused at least 59,000 deaths and displaced about 13 million people, while aid groups said the death toll could be higher. [1]
Explore the sources and reporting timeline
1 source links · 1 domains
These counts describe the references, not independent confirmations. Different outlets can repeat the same original report.
Source timeline
Oldest to newest among the available source dates, not a chronology of the incident. Article publication dates come from the source; other recorded dates may reflect when a link was found.
- [1] Sudan's war-driven blackouts push residents toward solar power but high costs shut many outmymotherlode.comReferenced for: detail 1, detail 2, detail 3, detail 4
Questions answered by the reporting
Why can’t more households switch to solar?
Imported solar systems have high upfront costs, while Sudan’s depreciating currency makes them harder to afford. [1]
What this could mean for you
Long blackouts may continue to interrupt lighting, schooling and household electricity in affected areas.
Damage to power plants, reduced generation capacity and the loss of technical workers have weakened the grid.
Reported basis: [1] · The possible effect is interpretation.
Depends on: Grid repairs and generation recovery do not keep pace with ongoing damage and staff shortages.
Businesses and schools may struggle to operate reliably during extended outages.
Facilities without affordable backup power lose electricity for substantial portions of the day.
Reported basis: [1] · The possible effect is interpretation.
Depends on: Outages remain near the durations reported in urban areas and solar alternatives remain unaffordable.
Households may face high costs when seeking private backup electricity.
Solar systems are imported and require a large upfront payment in a depreciating currency.
Reported basis: [1] · The possible effect is interpretation.
Depends on: Prices and currency conditions continue to keep systems beyond many families’ budgets.
Possible consequences, not a forecast. Their relevance depends on your location and the conditions above.
For your country
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What changes the outlook
Risk increases if…
Further attacks on power plants would reduce generation capacity.
Continued loss of electricity engineers and technicians would make grid recovery harder.
Pressure eases if…
Repairing damaged power plants and restoring generation capacity could reduce outage durations.
More affordable solar systems or financing could expand access to backup electricity.
Still unclear
The reporting does not establish when grid service will return to prewar production levels.
It is unclear how many households have installed solar systems nationwide.
Market implications
Market impact
Sources (1)
References for the reported details. Separate links do not necessarily mean independent confirmation.
Available excerpt
OMDURMAN, Sudan (AP) — For almost a year, Randa al-Mansour, a 31-year-old Sudanese housewife, has relied on solar energy panels installed on the rooftop of…A short excerpt from our source record; open the original for the full article.
First tracked by DoomRadar: . AI-assisted analysis · . Based on linked headlines and available excerpts. Methodology · Report an error.