Africa has ‘unlimited’ solar potential. Off-grid power could help light up the continent

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1. Africa gets more sunshine hours than any other continent. It has some of the [highest levels of solar irradiance](https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/466331592817725242/pdf/Global-Photovoltaic-Power-Potential-by-Country.pdf) — the power of the sun per square meter — in the world, with “[almost unlimited](https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/african-development-banks-desert-power-initiative-71072)” potential for solar energy according to the African Development Bank.

   [Solar has been touted](https://www.cnn.com/world/africa/africa-solar-power-potential-off-grid-hnk-spc?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=missions&utm_source=reddit) as the obvious solution to provide clean energy to the millions of people living without electricity.

   Yet the continent had just 21.5 gigawatts of installed solar capacity in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency. By comparison, China, the global leader in solar power, added 198 GW between January and May this year alone.

   What’s holding solar back in Africa?

   “The problem that you have in many African countries is that you have scattered, low density population centers,” says Bruno Idini, an analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA).

   Issues vary from country to country, but national grids often struggle to expand beyond cities due to high infrastructure costs and bottlenecks, regulatory hurdles, unclear government policies, and sometimes, conflict and unrest.

2. [Solar imports just started taking off in Africa.](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-first-evidence-of-a-take-off-in-solar-in-africa/) They would be reaching installation sites right now. It will change people’s lives.

   In 2024, [Pakistan, with 1% of the GDP of the US, installed about 50% as much solar as the US.](https://e360.yale.edu/features/pakistan-solar-boom) A lot of it was distributed on rooftops and balconies. [In the Aug 29th episode of Open Circuit](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-circuit-grab-bag-the-affordability-crisis-a-vpp-tipping-point-and-solars-moment/) Jiggar Shaw explained that one family owned business worked with Chinese manufacturers to build panels with inverters built in, and other user friendly features. They had good relationships with the manufacturers, so they were able to get favorable credit terms. (Chinese manufacturers were/ are dealing with excess supply) The distributor created tiktok videos showing people how to install the panels, and it took off. Now that the manufacturers see the potential, they’re probably rather more willing to extend credit to buyers in emerging markets.

   This is a quality post, but I think the article may be slightly behind the fast moving rollout of solar. I think that a year from now, there will be some solar panels in every village and every city with unreliable grid power, and everyone nearby will be clamoring to get their own. It will change their lives. Lots of people in the developing world use gas generators for water pumps and refrigerators, solar pays for itself very quickly compared to generator fuel. When people in the poorest 20% of the global population are able to invest in energy assets that last for twenty years, it changes their lives.

3. They will be a Superpower America buys their fuel from

4. 10-15 years ago I was working in Africa regularly, and could see the takeoff stage of mobile phones, as well as portable LED lights, both of which could be charged in a few hours by small (upto laptop sized) solar panels. It was already evident how transformative that was going to be in rural Kenya and Ethiopia.

   But today, one full sized solar panel per person, on the roof of every African household – that will change the world.

5. Africa could power the world with their solar…

6. This will massively drive (ha) the adoption of electric cars and scooters as well.

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