Essakane — Burkina Faso

Essakane is a 19.9 MW solar power plant in Sahel, Burkina Faso. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 8.5k homes (estimated). It ranks #7 of 9 Burkina Faso power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 6.5% of Burkina Faso's electricity; the national grid averages 562 gCO₂/kWh (17.2% low-carbon) (2024).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0069194.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 15 MW for Essakane solar project, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as Assumed PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Burkina Faso solar capacity

28.5% of 70 MW across 2 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Burkina Faso

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 14.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 2.8% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2 largest solar power plant of 2 in Burkina Faso by capacity.

Burkina Faso has 2 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 70 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Essakane Gold Mine power station · Oil · 57 MW · Soum

Location

Coordinates 14.364, 0.078 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions