Africa is set for a record 17 gigawatts of new solar in 2026 — 45% more than last year

Energy think tank Ember projects Africa will bring 17 gigawatts of solar online this year, with 36 of 54 nations logging their strongest year ever. South Africa leads at 3.3 gigawatts, with Egypt at 2 and Nigeria and the DRC at 1.7 each — but the fastest risers are the DRC (up 544%), Zimbabwe (282%), Egypt (176%), and Zambia (117%), mostly from rooftops and solar-plus-storage. For the first time since 2019, South Africa accounts for under a fifth of the continent's new solar.