Africa’s photovoltaic capacity close to reaching 20 gigawatts as demand for energy storage grows rapidly
In 2024, Africa’s photovoltaic market thrived with numerous new solar installations totaling 2.5GW, increasing the continent’s cumulative PV capacity to 19.2GW. AFSIA Solar’s Africa Solar Outlook 2025 detailed the industry’s consistent growth in 2024, marking the third year in a row with over 2GW of new capacity additions. The report solely focused on utility-scale, commercial and industrial (C&I), and mini-grid segment projects, excluding residential installations. The utility and C&I sectors accounted for the majority of new additions in 2024, with 1.78GW and 675MW, respectively.
South Africa and Egypt, longstanding leaders in Africa’s PV market, continued to dominate in 2024 with new installations of 1.2GW and 707MW. Following closely behind were Zambia, with 74.8MW, Nigeria, with 63.5MW, and Angola, with 53.8MW. Despite these figures, Africa’s global PV market share in 2024 decreased to 0.5%, the lowest since 2013. AFSIA expressed concerns that this level of activity did not adequately utilize Africa’s solar potential nor address the continent’s growing need for new power generation. On a brighter note, 2024 also saw a surge in project proposals, totaling 40GW, reflecting a 21% increase in the continent’s project pipeline compared to the previous year.
A notable highlight of 2024 was the substantial growth in energy storage, as capacity surged from 150MWh in 2023 to 1,641MWh in 2024, representing over a tenfold increase. AFSIA identified approximately 18GWh of storage projects in development across Africa, driven mainly by the plummeting prices of stationary storage solutions. However, the report revised downward the capacity figures from prior outlook reports due to new data on project statuses, indicating that the actual capacity additions in 2024 were lower than initially estimated.
The AFSIA report painted a promising outlook for the future of solar energy in Africa despite the challenges faced in 2024. It emphasized that while uncertainty and risk could impact project plans, the dense pipeline of solar projects indicated a hopeful future for African solar. The industry is evolving with more efficient and affordable energy storage solutions, paving the way for sustainable growth and development. Africa’s solar energy sector is on an upward trajectory, poised to play a crucial role in meeting the continent’s increasing energy demands and advancing toward a greener future.
