AFRICA – Orange, a multi-service telecoms operator, is set to deploying solar solutions across Africa and Middle East, an initiative to avoid using generators that run on fossil fuels that emit CO2.

Innovative solar solutions are at the forefront of Orange’s. This is in-line with their goal to reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint to zero by 2040.

Across the region, many of the company’s sites are not connected to the electricity grid and when they are, the quality of the grid often requires alternative backup solutions.

To avoid using generators that run on fuel, Orange is putting in place several initiatives such as solar panels.

In several of its subsidiaries, Orange is deploying innovative solar solutions and the latest generation batteries with partners specialising in energy.

“We are proud to be the first company by number of solar panels in 5 countries in Africa and the Middle East,” Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa said.

“As a stakeholder in the energy transition, Orange has included in its Engage 2025 strategic plan the objective of meeting 50% of the Group’s electricity needs from renewable sources by 2025. We are aiming for net zero carbon by 2040.”

To reduce its environmental footprint, the Group is positioning itself in these countries as the biggest deployer of solar panels, with a renewable energy use rate already at over 50% for Orange Guinea, 41% for Orange Madagascar and 40% for Orange Sierra Leone.

These solar panel solutions have also been or will soon be deployed in other African and Middle Eastern countries where Orange is present, like Liberia, where 75% of Orange’s telecom sites are equipped with solar panels.

In total, Orange has installed solar panels at 5,400 of its telecom sites (some 100% solar, others hybrid) saving 55 million litres of fuel each year.

Furthermore, in Jordan, Orange has launched three solar farms to switch to clean and renewable energy helping to reduce its carbon footprint.

In 2020, these solar farm projects covered over 65% of Orange Jordan’s energy needs. Since 2018, the company has successfully reduced its CO2 emissions by 45 kilotons thanks to this solar infrastructure.