Africa is entering a new phase of its energy transition, with solar power emerging as one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity across the continent as businesses, households and governments turn to renewable energy to address power shortages, rising fuel costs and unreliable grids.
The continent is expected to install a record 17 gigawatts (GW) of solar power in 2026, representing a 45 percent increase from 2025, according to an analysis by energy think tank Ember. The estimate marks the third consecutive year of record growth, following increases of 51 percent in 2025 and 25 percent in 2024.
Ember estimates that around 100,000 solar panels are being installed every day across Africa in 2026, highlighting the speed at which the continent’s solar market is expanding. Crucially, about 73 percent of the recent growth is estimated to come from distributed solar systems, including rooftop installations, commercial systems and smaller hybrid solar-and-storage projects that are often poorly captured by official electricity statistics.
The expansion is also becoming more geographically diverse. Ember expects 36 of Africa’s 54 countries to record their highest-ever solar installations in 2026, while 19 countries are estimated to register year-on-year growth of more than 100 percent.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is projected to record the fastest growth at 544 percent, followed by Zimbabwe at 282 percent, Egypt at 176 percent and Zambia at 117 percent. Six countries are expected to become gigawatt-scale solar markets in 2026: South Africa with 3.3 GW, Egypt with 2 GW, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo with 1.7 GW each, Algeria with 1.4 GW and Morocco with 1 GW.
The changing market is significant because Africa’s solar expansion is no longer being driven exclusively by large utility-scale projects. Rooftop solar, mini-grids, commercial installations and solar-plus-battery systems are increasingly being deployed by companies and households seeking alternatives to diesel generators and unreliable grid electricity.
Nigeria illustrates this shift. Growing demand for solar and battery systems reflects the search by businesses and households for more predictable electricity supplies, particularly where diesel generation has become expensive. Similar trends are emerging in other markets where solar is being deployed as both an energy-access solution and a commercial investment.
The growth is also reflected in broader renewable-energy figures. The International Renewable Energy Agency reported that Africa’s renewable-energy capacity increased by 11.3 GW, or 15.9 percent, in 2025, the continent’s largest annual increase, with Ethiopia, South Africa and Egypt among the leading contributors. Globally, solar accounted for about 75 percent of the 2025 increase in renewable capacity, underlining the central role of solar in the wider energy transition.
The scale of the African solar expansion could have a significant impact on electricity supply. Ember estimates that the 17 GW installed in 2026 could generate about 23 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, equivalent to around 2.3 percent of Africa’s electricity generation in 2024. The additional generation would roughly match Africa’s historic annual electricity-demand growth of about 2.2 percent between 2014 and 2024.
Yet the solar boom is taking place alongside a major electricity-access challenge. In June 2026, the World Bank and African Development Bank announced that their Mission 300 initiative had connected more than 50 million people to electricity across 40 African countries, moving toward the target of connecting an additional 300 million people by 2030.
Solar is increasingly important to that effort because it can reach communities that are difficult or expensive to connect through conventional grids. Off-grid solar, mini-grids and solar home systems can provide electricity for households, schools, health facilities and small businesses without waiting for major transmission infrastructure.
However, Africa’s renewable-energy growth remains below its enormous potential. Financing, grid infrastructure, energy-storage capacity, local manufacturing and regulatory certainty remain major barriers to scaling projects.
Ember estimates that 94 percent of solar panels installed in Africa are still imported from China, while only about six percent are manufactured domestically in countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Kenya.
The next phase of Africa’s green-energy transition will therefore extend beyond simply installing more panels. It will increasingly involve developing local manufacturing, battery storage, transmission networks, skilled jobs and financing mechanisms capable of turning abundant solar resources into reliable and affordable electricity.
Africa’s solar surge is consequently becoming more than a response to electricity shortages. It is creating the foundation for a broader green-energy economy, with implications for industrialisation, energy security, climate policy and economic growth across the continent.
