In the capital Lusaka, power outages can last up to 20 hours, forcing businesses such as Andrew Simezye's barber shop to shut.
The problem is that hydropower generates over most of the country’s electricity. In 2024, drought-induced low water levels led to economic losses of $1.3 billion, highlighting Zambia’s precarious dependence on this particular renewable energy source.
The power cuts have driven demand for charcoal, causing prices to double within a year and accelerating deforestation, which in turn exacerbates climate change.
Zambia is now investing massively in solar energy.
For now, it accounts for less than 1% of electricity generation. But a number of projects are underway to up its share.
The 100-megawatt Chisamba Solar Power Plant, built by ZESCO and a Chinese firm, aims to create over 1,000 megawatts of solar power by the end of 2025, along with 1,300 job opportunities.
But a new one-sided dependency poses risks. As extreme weather events continue, flash floods and storms could damage the solar plants. Experts are adamant that what the country needs is a broad-based power supply that can cope with extreme weather — and all options should be considered, including wind power and geothermal energy.