Abstract Tanzania is facing energy problems and since the provision of commercial energy will remain limited for some time to come, largely for technical and economic reasons, cost effective renewable energy technologies (RETs) are considered as an option for improving the access to energy services. Solar photovoltaic (PV) is regarded by the government as one of the potential RETs for providing basic electricity. Solar PV development in Tanzania is not sustainable because it is mainly donor/non-governmental organization driven. Substantial amounts of investment in solar PV technology development have not produced significant impact on the level of rural electrification in Tanzania, which is roughly 1%. The major barriers to the utilization of solar PV are the high cost of solar PV systems, low purchasing power, and limited application of PV technology for powering enterprising activities. Renewable energy strategy that is focused on a diverse set of technologies with a major objective of powering income-generating activities is recommended.
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