Africa’s solar market is entering a period of rapid expansion, with rising electricity demand, unreliable grid supply and falling technology costs driving investment across utility scale and distributed energy markets.
The growth will be a central focus of Solar Africa Expo, which will take place alongside Africa Energy Indaba 2027 from 2 to 4 March 2027 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa.
According to the Global Solar Council’s Africa Market Outlook for Solar PV 2026 to 2029, the continent installed approximately 4.5 GW of new solar PV capacity during 2025. This represented a 54% increase year on year and the fastest annual growth recorded in Africa’s solar market.
South Africa remained the continent’s largest market, installing approximately 1.6 GW during the year. Nigeria followed with 803 MW, while Egypt added about 500 MW and Algeria installed approximately 400 MW.
The geographical spread of solar deployment is also widening. Eight African countries installed more than 100 MW of new solar capacity during 2025, compared with four countries in the previous year. Morocco, Zambia, Tunisia, Botswana, Ghana and Chad were among the markets recording increased deployment.
The expansion is increasingly extending beyond large utility scale projects. Commercial and industrial users, mining companies, property owners and households are investing in solar generation to reduce electricity costs, improve supply reliability and limit exposure to grid constraints.
Battery energy storage is becoming an increasingly important part of this market, allowing businesses and other electricity users to store solar generation and improve the reliability of distributed energy systems.
The resulting opportunity extends across the solar value chain, including PV modules, inverters, battery storage, mounting systems, engineering, procurement and construction, project development, operations and maintenance, mini grids, off grid systems, digital energy management and project finance.
Solar Africa Expo is being positioned as a dedicated platform for companies operating across these segments, while its association with Africa Energy Indaba provides access to a broader group of energy sector stakeholders.
Africa Energy Indaba brings together governments, utilities, regulators, independent power producers, project developers, investors, development finance institutions, engineering companies and technology providers from across Africa and international markets.
The combination is intended to connect technology providers with the organisations responsible for developing, financing, procuring and operating new energy infrastructure.
For the solar industry, this is increasingly important as Africa’s market moves from individual projects towards larger and more diverse portfolios of generation and storage assets.
Despite the continent’s substantial solar resources, electricity access and reliability remain major challenges across many African markets. Solar and battery storage can provide additional generation capacity at utility, commercial and community scale, but deployment will continue to depend on access to finance, appropriate regulation, grid infrastructure and credible project development frameworks.
Solar Africa Expo will therefore provide companies with an opportunity to present technologies and services to potential customers, project developers, investors, utilities and government representatives attending Africa Energy Indaba 2027.
With Africa’s solar market now recording its strongest growth on record, competition for projects, investment and market share is expected to intensify as international and African companies seek to establish or expand their presence across the continent.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
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