Clean Energy Transitions in North Africa – Analysis
This report is part of a wider IEA initiative that seeks to foster efforts towards clean energy transitions in Africa by promoting best
Storage helps ease solar integration, while larger balancing areas help shift power quickly and efficiently from where it is generated to where it is consumed. In the absence of an integrated grid and/or energy storage systems Africa will not be able to take full advantage of solar PV as the lowest cost generation source in history.
Structural challenges such as limited financing, regulatory barriers and infrastructure constraints continue to impede the continent's ability to fully unlock its solar potential. Nevertheless, Africa's growing appetite for clean energy signals a promising future for solar power across the region.
Over the last decade, renewable electricity in North Africa has grown more than 40%, driven by the rapid expansion of wind, solar photovoltaic and solar thermal. Renewables play a minor role in the transport sector across the region, with still few electric vehicles that can use renewable power and low levels of biofuels.
While the spread of solar energy across Africa is encouraging, a significant concentration of capacity persists. In 2024, 78 per cent of all new installations were concentrated in just two countries — South Africa and Egypt.
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