Photograph: World Financial institution
Photo voltaic is taking off throughout Africa in a giant means. In response to a brand new evaluation of China’s photo voltaic panel exports knowledge from power assume tank Ember, photo voltaic panel imports into the continent jumped 60% within the 12 months by means of June 2025, setting a file that would reshape electrical energy techniques in lots of international locations.
In that interval, Africa imported 15,032 megawatts (MW) of photo voltaic panels, up from 9,379 MW the yr earlier than. Whereas South Africa has dominated previous surges, this wave is occurring throughout the map: 20 international locations set new import data, and 25 international locations every introduced in at the least 100 MW, in comparison with simply 15 a yr earlier.
Nigeria overtook Egypt to change into the second-largest importer with 1,721 MW, whereas Algeria surged into third with 1,199 MW. Development charges in some international locations had been staggering: Algeria’s imports jumped 33-fold, Zambia’s eightfold, Botswana’s sevenfold, and Sudan’s sixfold. Liberia, the DRC, Benin, Angola, and Ethiopia all greater than tripled their imports.
Nonetheless, import numbers don’t inform the entire story. It’s unclear what number of of those panels have been put in but. Muhammad Mustafa Amjad of Renewables First, an power transition assume tank in Pakistan, identified that international locations threat shedding useful time and alternatives with out correct monitoring. “Africa’s transition will occur regardless,” he stated, “however with well timed knowledge it may be extra equitable, deliberate, and inclusive.”
If these panels do get put in, the influence could possibly be large. In Sierra Leone, the previous yr’s imports alone may cowl 61% of the nation’s 2023 electrical energy technology. For Chad, it’s 49%. Liberia, Somalia, Eritrea, Togo, and Benin may all increase technology by greater than 10% in comparison with 2023, and 16 international locations may see will increase of over 5%.
The financial case can also be robust. In Nigeria, photo voltaic financial savings from changing diesel may repay panel prices in simply six months, and even much less in different international locations. In actual fact, in 9 of Africa’s high 10 photo voltaic panel importers, the worth of imported refined petroleum outweighed photo voltaic imports by components of between 30 to 107.
Ember’s chief analyst, Dave Jones, referred to as the surge “a pivotal second,” urging extra analysis and reporting to maintain tempo with the fast rise to “make sure the world’s most cost-effective electrical energy supply fulfills its huge potential to rework the African continent.”
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