“Households and businesses are driving a solar boom in Africa, where rooftop arrays and other small systems account for the bulk of new solar installations. But this rapid buildout, which is driving solar additions to record levels, is largely unaccounted for in official statistics, analysts say…

Because official statistics are lacking, analysts used customs data to track the flow of solar equipment to Africa from China, the biggest manufacturer of solar panels globally. They found that Africa will add the equivalent of 17 gigawatts of solar capacity this year, more than enough to meet the continent’s average yearly growth in demand. Some 36 countries will install record volumes of solar in 2026, while 19 will install more than twice as much solar as they did last year.

In countries with rickety power grids, many people rely on diesel generators to cope with recurrent blackouts. But analysts say the Iran war has pushed up diesel prices, making solar a more attractive alternative. 'Generating the same electricity from a diesel generator as from a solar panel would cost as much in diesel, every three months, as the solar panel itself,' they write. In almost every country in Africa, more than half of solar capacity installed since 2023 is distributed, analysts estimate.”

From Yale Environment 360.