Solar energy in sub-Saharan Africa

Latest Articles

16/02/2026
Joanna Watterson, University of Cambridge

South Africa’s electricity system is changing. After years of blackouts until 2024, the state-owned energy company Eskom is being unbundled into smaller companies, and the sector is increasingly open to private investment.

Connecting home solar and electric vehicle batteries to the grid could boost South Africa’s clean energy and strengthen the electricity system

13/02/2026
David Richard Walwyn, University of Pretoria
Article

South Africa has committed to reaching phasing out human-caused carbon pollution by 2050. To get there, it needs to push as much renewable energy as possible into the national grid.

Productive Use Has Challenges: What’s Holding the Sector Back — And How Companies and Investors Should Respond

09/02/2026
Daniel Waldron, Duda Slawek, Chris Emmott and Kristi Chon
Article

Across Africa, renewable energy is powering more homes than ever, but it hasn’t yet powered prosperity. For smallholder farmers, productive-use technologies such as solar irrigation, cold storage and agro-processing can have a transformative impact.

Embrace Early Field Testing – Or Lose the Clean Tech Race

03/02/2026
Moses M. Nyakoyo
Article

In the fast-evolving world of clean technology, innovation isn’t just about cutting-edge designs or lab-perfected prototypes. It’s about creating products that truly work in the real world, and that starts with involving end users from the get-go.

How solar irrigation is transforming the lives of smallholder farmers in Kenya – lessons and the road ahead

30/01/2026
Shell Foundation
Article

Agriculture is the engine of Kenya’s economy, accounting for 22% of GDP and employing more than 70% of the rural population. Yet, the majority of smallholder farmers rely exclusively on rain-fed agriculture and remain vulnerable to unpredictable rainfall and prolonged droughts, putting both their harvests and livelihoods at risk.

The potential of energy communities

19/01/2026
IRENA
Article

An energy community provides an alternative or a supportive model to the traditionally dominant state-owned or private energy utility. It can play a substantial role in the energy system by allowing the engagement of communities in renewable energy projects and supporting infrastructure, by sharing ownership, responsibilities, decisions and benefit

Solar dominates Africa’s energy investments, but millions remain in dark

14/01/2026
Oladehinde Oladipo
Article

Africa’s renewable energy sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, with solar power attracting more than half of clean energy investments on the continent.

Zimbabwe’s Green Tech Revolution

12/01/2026
Patrolmedia.co.id
Article

The crucial question for Zimbabwe is no longer if digital solutions can contribute to environmental sustainability, but how the nation can effectively harness these tools in an equitable, responsible, and scalable manner.