MANY MINDEDTunisia clears households to store their own solar power during blackouts
Tunisia's national electricity utility, STEG, has authorized low-voltage customers — households and businesses — to install battery storage paired with hybrid inverters on their solar systems. The move comes during a heatwave that has gripped the country since July 11, with air conditioning driving electricity demand to record levels and forcing recurring outages. STEG has been asking consumers to cut usage as the grid strains.
The new rules let solar owners draw on battery-stored electricity to keep their homes running during load-shedding. STEG has published a technical guide covering design, installation, operation and maintenance of battery-equipped PV systems, aimed at residential users, its own technical teams, and certified installers.
This matters for energy access because it turns rooftop solar from a daytime-only supplement into a source of reliable, round-the-clock power a household controls. During outages, a battery-backed system means the difference between a working home and a dark one — and over time, self-generated storage shifts demand off a stressed grid, easing the strain that causes blackouts in the first place. It moves electricity toward something more available and more resilient at the point of use.
What to watch is whether cost follows access. Sadok Besbes of CONECT's renewable energy group welcomed the decision but called for financial incentives and lower customs duties on solar modules and batteries. Without them, the authorization mainly benefits those who can already afford the hardware. The technical framework is now in place; the affordability question is still open.
Source: pv magazine