News facts
The CTCN is seeking experts to participate in the upcoming solicitation to provide technical assistance on:
Floating solar panels in Senegal: Feasibility study for Kaffountine & Diémbéring, small coastal towns of Lower Casamance
Deadline: 25 August 2025
In Senegal’s Lower Casamance region, small coastal communities like Kaffountine and Diémbéring rely on artisanal fishing, agriculture, and ecotourism, benefiting from fertile land, biodiversity, and abundant fish stocks but facing challenges from geographic isolation, limited energy infrastructure, and climate change impacts such as coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and freshwater scarcity. Current energy needs for water management and food preservation are met mainly by costly, polluting fossil fuels, with some solar adoption through NGOs. Floating solar photovoltaic systems offer a sustainable alternative, generating clean energy on water surfaces without displacing farmland, reducing evaporation, cutting emissions, and strengthening resilience, particularly for women involved in fish processing.
This technical assistance aimed at promoting floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) systems in the coastal communities of Kaffountine and Diémbéring. This will include the preparation of a feasibility study for a decentralized FPV installation of 0.25 to 1 MW, with a particular focus on meeting the energy needs of women-led fish processing cooperatives. The study will assess site suitability (including limited metoceanic analysis), identify appropriate technological designs (floating platforms, mooring, electrical systems), and evaluate options for grid interconnection and local energy storage. Some of the expected outputs are:
- Stakeholder mapping and creation of a steering committee.
- Estimating the preliminary potential of floating solar energy in the Lower Casamance coastal region.
- Technical analysis of available technology options for selected zones.
- Economic and financial feasibility analysis with particular emphasis on the needs of small communities
- and energy resilience.
- Social and societal impact study and roadmap.
For further information on this opportunity, visit the UN Global Market Place (UNGM) or the UN website.
If you are not yet a member of the CTCN Network, you can apply to join here.