Solar

Tunisia is one of the Maghreb member countries that is giving the greatest impetus to the expansion of renewable energies, with photovoltaic solar energy being the undisputed protagonist.

The Tunisian government said that it has renewed the financing mechanism for its two national residential solar programs.

National utility Société Tunisienne d’Electricité et de Gaz (STEG) has obtained a financing agreement of TND 370 million ($121.1 million) from Zitouna Bank for its Prosol Residential and Prosol Elec schemes for the 2024-26 period.

The financing will take the form of rebates granted to Tunisian households allocated by the Energy Transition Fund (FNME). The financial institution will also be able to grant loans for the purchase and installation of equipment.

“The financial mechanism implemented within the framework of the Prosol program is based on the removal of two main barriers at the end consumer level: the burden of the initial investment and the long payback time compared to other conventional technologies,” said the National Agency for Energy Management (ANME).

The Prosol Elec program encourages businesses and households to develop solar systems for self-consumption. The program offers a 30% rebate off the project price through the FNME, a free inverter supplied by STEG, and a five-year credit of up to TND 3,000/kW. The ANME reports that the program has led to the installation of around 300 MW of systems in about 90,000 homes.