The Union of Comoros is archipelago of islands located in the Indian Ocean, north of the Mozambique Channel, on the east coast of the African continent and west of the northern tip of Madagascar. Comprising four main islands, Comoros has an area of about 1,862 km2 and is densely populated with a population of 813,000. One of the four islands, Mayotte, is an overseas department of France. The capital is located in Moroni, also the largest city on the main island of Grande Comore. 75 % of the population lives in rural areas in the two larger islands of Grande Comore and Anjouan. Languages spoken are Comorian Swahili, French and Arabic.
Comoros is one of the least developed countries and the economy is driven by export of agriculture products, tourism, fisheries, and remittances from Comorans abroad. Recurring political instability, and an ongoing electricity crisis have hampered growth.
Comoros is currently dependent on imported fuel oil and indigenous biomass as its main source of energy. Less than 70 % of the population has access to electricity with nearly 40 % of people living in rural areas having no access. The government has kept a target of achieving 55 % for renewable energy share in its energy generation mix by 2033.
Comoros has great natural solar potential as the country receives 9-10 hours of sunshine daily at an average of 6.1 kWp/m2. In 1995, solar energy became available at a wider scale through World Bank funding for ENERCOM, a Comorian corporation, which has implemented about 100 installations on the three islands. With the support of the European Union, the government is implementing a 125 kWp solar power plant in Mohéli as a pilot project and to connect an under-served community in Ndrondroni. Solar PV for power generation is slowly entering the market in private homes, standalone solar photovoltaics, and distributed micro solar lanterns, yet it is still negligible compared to other energy sources in the country.
As of 2012, Comoros offered tax incentives for renewable energy equipment. According to a decree introduced in 2012 by the Vice-Presidents of Comoros, the import of equipment and materials for the development of renewable energy can be imported free of customs duties and taxes including the single administrative fee. The list of equipment includes solar panels, charge regulator, invertors, battery, wind turbine, hot water production kit and digester for biogas production.