Sub-Saharan Africa

With South Africa’s solar industry moving toward a phase of market-led growth, Sim Khuluse, from the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA), says the challenge for the forthcoming year is moving ahead with grid modernization and expansion.

South Africa’s cumulative solar capacity likely exceeded 10 GW by the end of last year, according to analysis from the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association.

Scientists in Hungary found that ground-mounted PV modules at an intermediate elevation of 1.1 m achieve the highest efficiency and power output due to improved airflow and reduced cell temperature. Their study also estimated a levelized cost of electricity of $0.0843/kWh and 577.78 kg CO₂ mitigation over 25 years, while noting results are specific to concrete surfaces.

A study of 1,000 sub-Saharan African households using off-grid PAYG solar systems found that 77% reduce their electricity use after the first year, leading to underused, often oversized systems. This persistent decline is driven by behavioural changes as well as economic constraints and highlights the need for solar designs and pricing that better match actual household energy needs.

A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-led initiative has installed hybrid solar-plus-storage systems at five health facilities in Burundi. A second phase of the scheme, due for completion this year, will power an additional nine district hospitals.

An international research team used high-resolution electroluminescence imaging to quantify type-C cracks in 100 PV modules after 11 years of operation, linking crack distribution to real-world power loss. Concentrated cracks within individual cells were found to cause disproportionately high losses, highlighting the importance of cell-level crack analysis for effective PV maintenance.

Research exploring off-grid practices in South Africa has defined three forms of off-gridding, with reasons for being off-grid varying depending on income background, in turn highlighting that decentralized energy transitions can reproduce existing inequalities.

Naos‑1 is described as South Africa’s biggest private utility‑scale solar and battery storage project, designed to wheel power to industrial customers.

The Global Solar Council’s Africa market outlook report says the continent saw its fastest year for solar growth to date in 2025. Its medium-term outlook forecasts Africa to install over 31.5 GW of solar by 2029, with distributed and utility-scale markets set to continue their expansion across an increasing number of countries.

Chad has one of Africa’s highest solar penetration rates, a result of a small power system with just 12% electrification, as large-scale solar and storage projects gather pace around N’Djamena, even as political uncertainty over oil revenues constrains faster deployment.