Solar power production in Antananarivo is declining due to cloud cover. Installation work continues at the Ambohidrano solar facility. At Ambohidrano Ilafy, the plant generated no electricity yesterday morning, with equipment appearing offline. "Under normal operation, batteries emit an audible hum. We shouldn't hear these beeping sounds indicating a fault somewhere," explains a technician. This interruption is not due to technical failure, but rather weather conditions. "This gloomy weather is disrupting the charging process. The batteries have limited autonomy of about 2 to 3 hours. Normally, when the electrical grid is active, they recharge even in overcast conditions. However, since power is also cut in the neighborhood, they're not charging at all right now," the source continues. With a capacity of 2 MW injected into Antananarivo's interconnected network (RIA) for several months, the facility showed zero production yesterday, according to Jirama. Overall, heavy cloud cover has reduced output across all sites supplying the capital. The Ambatolampy plant, with 34 MW capacity, delivered only 13 MW. Mangatany (5 MW capacity) peaked at 4.5 MW, while Ampangabe operated at just a quarter of its potential (1.16 MW). Finally, Ambatomirahavavy ran at half capacity, delivering 650 kW. True Solution These output reductions occur whenever weather deteriorates. "Even though plants are equipped with batteries, storage has its limits, like a mobile phone. When light decreases, panels don't receive the radiation needed to power the accumulators," explains a source close to the matter. Although these solar installations are connected to the RIA to reduce power cuts, they struggle to fulfill their role in bad weather. "Solar provides a real solution, but it cannot ensure supply alone. The ideal remains a hybrid system combining photovoltaic with hydroelectric and thermal plants," recommends a technician. Jirama nonetheless plans to increase solar's share within the RIA.