AFSIA has released main facts about the African solar market in 2024 indicating the growth and additions.
New Solar Capacity: Africa added 2.5 GWp of new solar capacity in 2024, bringing the continent’s total installed capacity to 19.2 GWp.
Global Share: African solar accounted for only 0.5 percent of all new global solar capacity in 2024, the lowest share since 2013, highlighting the untapped potential.
Pipeline Growth: Despite modest capacity additions, 40 GW of new projects were announced in 2024, marking a 21 percent increase in the project pipeline compared to 2023.
Country Contributions: South Africa and Egypt together contributed 78 percent of the new solar capacity installed in Africa in 2024, with South Africa alone responsible for 50 percent.
Top Five Leaders:
South Africa: 1,235 MWp (leading the continent).
Egypt: 707 MWp, driven by two major projects in Kom Ombo.
Zambia: 74.8 MWp, reflecting its pivot to solar amid severe load-shedding.
Nigeria: 63.5 MWp, benefiting from increased adoption of solar+storage solutions.
Angola: 53.8 MWp, completing utility-scale projects initiated two years ago.
Utility-Scale Dominance: Utility-scale solar accounted for 72 percent of all new installations in 2024, a shift from the previous two years when the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector led.
Geographic Concentration: Solar development remained highly concentrated, with most new capacity focused in a few countries, particularly South Africa and Egypt.
Country-Level Progress:
Two countries installed more than 100 MW.
Sixteen countries installed over 10 MW.
Twenty-nine countries installed more than 1 MW, indicating incremental growth across the continent.
Zambia’s Emerging Market: Zambia’s reliance on solar during its energy crisis suggests a growing role for renewable energy in the country’s energy strategy over the next few years.
Future Outlook: The dense project pipeline and several landmark projects under construction suggest that 2025 could see a more diversified and robust solar market in Africa.
The solar percentage in the overall energy mix highlights significant differences in electricity output compared to other energy sources like hydro, coal, or gas. While 1 MW of hydro can produce approximately 5,000 MWh/year, 1 MW of solar averages 1,500 MWh/year in Africa. This makes comparisons based solely on installed capacity (MW) misleading, as it does not accurately reflect energy generation (MWh). Using MWh for comparisons provides a clearer and more accurate understanding of solar’s contribution to the energy mix.
African countries are performing well in terms of solar penetration, with 21 nations producing 5 percent or more of their electricity consumption from solar. Among these, seven countries have solar contributing over 10 percent of their total electricity. The top three countries — Central African Republic, Mauritania, and Namibia — continue to lead in solar penetration.
The Central African Republic remains particularly impressive, with over 40 percent of its electricity coming from solar, thanks to a few large projects and limited reliance on other generation sources. However, these figures do not account for electricity from independent diesel generators.
Baburajan Kizhakedath