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Rwamagana solar

Solar power plant in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Approximate location -2.026, 30.377.

SolarEastern ProvinceRwandaAssumed PV

Rwamagana solar is a 8 MW solar power plant in Eastern Province, Rwanda. It is operated by Scatec Solar Company & GigaWatt Global Cooperatief. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3.6k homes (estimated). It ranks #9 of 12 Rwanda power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2015, it is around 11 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 3.5% of Rwanda's electricity; the national grid averages 354 gCO₂/kWh (49.6% low-carbon) (2024).

8Source-backed capacity
3,616homes powered (est.)
2015commissioned (~11 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061159.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRwamagana solar WRI
CountryRwanda · Eastern Province WRI
Coordinates-2.026, 30.377 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity8 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerScatec Solar Company & GigaWatt Global Cooperatief WRI
Commissioned2015 WRI
TechnologyAssumed PV WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#9 of 12 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 1 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent3,616 calculated
Climate20.5°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 31/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000827720); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

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.

Owner

Operated by Scatec Solar Company & GigaWatt Global Cooperatief.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 2.0°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.5°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
906cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,421 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 20 °CJF: 20 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 21 °CON: 20 °CND: 20 °CD21 °C

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 0.0% 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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
31/100environmental-severity index
1.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
155 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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

Rwanda has 1 solar power plant in this dataset, together about 8 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -2.026, 30.377 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Rwamagana solar?

Rwamagana solar is a 8 MW source-record solar power plant in Eastern Province, Rwanda, commissioned in 2015.

How many homes can Rwamagana solar power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 3,616 homes (estimated).

Who operates Rwamagana solar?

Rwamagana solar is operated by Scatec Solar Company & GigaWatt Global Cooperatief.

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