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In brief
- The Hargeisa Water Agency general manager reported hybrid solar and diesel operation at three SDF-funded wells during an April 2025 parliamentary briefing.
- Generators at the main water production facility still run on diesel, the briefing states.
- The agency said it hopes to cover at least half of its energy use with solar in the near future.
Contents
The Hargeisa Water Agency's general manager, Mohamed Ali Darood, told the Standing Committee of the Somaliland House of Elders on 21 April 2025 that three wells funded by the SDF run on solar panels during the day and a diesel generator at night, according to the agency's account of the briefing.
What the source records
Asked by MP Ahmed Quule whether the agency pumps borehole water with solar, the general manager said no: the generators at the water production facility run on diesel. In the same answer, Hargeisa Water Agency records that the three SDF-funded wells use solar panels by day and the diesel generator at night, and that the agency hopes to run on solar for at least half of its energy use in the near future.
The same briefing describes 228 km of pipes laid and not yet operational, and nine new water infrastructure facilities, including four KfW-financed service reservoirs, that the agency says are complete and ready but not yet in use.
What it means on site
A day-night hybrid arrangement changes the daily routine around a well: panel output follows the sun, and the pump set has to switch to the generator when it drops. For anyone planning works near these wells, the practical questions are which power source serves a given pump at a given hour, and what happens at the changeover.
General practice for solar pumping is to confirm the panel array output, the inverter or controller settings, the pump duty point and the generator changeover against the project specification and the engineer. The briefing does not give those details. Anyone sizing a tank, a connection or a load that depends on well output can ask the agency for the operating record for the specific well.
What the source does not establish
The briefing is an agency account dated 21 April 2025, not a live status report. It does not establish how the three wells are operated now, what share of the agency's pumping energy comes from solar, or whether the panels and generator installed are still in service. The three wells are not named in the passage.
The source also gives more than one pipeline total, so scopes need reconciliation before any figure is used on a drawing, a tender or a connection request. Plans and completion dates quoted in the briefing, including work scheduled for 2025, are stated as plans and expectations, not as finished work.
What to do next
Request the agency's current operating record for the specific well, naming the well, the energy source in use and the pumping hours. Ask the Hargeisa Water Agency office for the reconciled pipeline and reservoir scope list before relying on any total from the briefing.
Frequently asked questions
How many Hargeisa wells use solar and diesel?
The Hargeisa Water Agency general manager said three wells funded by the SDF use solar panels during the day and a diesel generator at night, in a briefing reported on 21 April 2025.
Do all Hargeisa Water Agency boreholes run on solar?
No. The same briefing states that the generators at the water production facility operate on diesel, while the agency aims to move toward solar for part of its energy use.
Sources
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Hargeisa and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.