According to the latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), Africa will have a total installed capacity of 125GW by 2030, with solar photovoltaics leading the way in new capacity additions in Africa.
By 2030, the continent's installed electricity capacity will nearly double, from 260GW at the beginning of the decade to 510GW at the end of the decade, of which 125GW will come entirely from solar PV.
The 2022 Africa Energy Outlook report predicts that more than 40% of total new additions from 2021 to 2030 will come from solar photovoltaics.
In 2021-2030, new solar PV capacity will account for 40% of the 250GW of new capacity added this decade
Renewable energy will play an important role in providing new capacity, with demand in Africa rising by 75% by the end of the decade, from 680TWh to 1.180TWh in 2030.
In addition, solar PV will surpass hydropower as the number one source of renewable energy in terms of total installed capacity, and nearly fill the gap with natural gas by 2030, the report said.
According to the IEA, "Africa has 60% of the world's best solar resources, but only 1% of installed solar PV capacity. In many parts of Africa, solar PV is already the cheapest source of electricity and will overtake the entire African continent by 2030. of all energy.
Renewables such as solar and wind are already less expensive than natural gas and coal-fired power plants in much of Africa, a trend that will continue throughout the decade, with prices falling further and natural gas growing. By the end of the decade, solar PV and wind will provide 27% of electricity generation, eight times the current level.
At the same time, Africa has nearly 40% of its reserves of cobalt, manganese and platinum, which are key minerals for battery and hydrogen technology, and Africa will therefore play a key role in clean energy technology.
Another key issue that Africa has to face is the improvement of the power grid. An annual investment of $40 billion in 2026-2030 will play a "critical" role in improving system reliability.
The continent currently has 600 million citizens without access to electricity, or 43% of the total population, most of them from sub-Saharan regions.
The IEA said that by 2030, 42% of the population will get electricity primarily through the national grid, while standalone grids and microgrids (mainly powered by solar photovoltaics) will play an important role in rural areas without grids.
In sub-Saharan regions, nearly 30 percent of new homes are integrated into community microgrids located 10 kilometers away from the main grid. Annual capacity additions from 2021-2030 are 300MW, of which 225MW will be solar PV.
The IEA forecasts that the region will also see the fastest growth in solar PV penetration, from non-existence in 2020 to 20% in 2030.
