Africa Is Buying a Record Number of Chinese Solar Panels
17 days ago
- #africa-china
- #renewable-transition
- #solar-energy
- African countries are importing significantly more solar panels from China in 2025, marking a potential shift towards renewable energy.
- In May 2025, African nations imported a record 1.57 GW of solar panels from China, with Algeria seeing a 6,300% increase.
- Less developed countries like Chad are importing enough solar panels to replace their entire current power generation capacity.
- China dominates global solar panel manufacturing, producing over 80% of the world's panels due to subsidies and technological advancements.
- Solar energy is becoming the cheaper and greener alternative to fossil fuels, reducing the need to sacrifice the environment for development.
- Similar solar booms were seen in Pakistan (2024) and South Africa (2023), driven by unreliable grids and government incentives.
- The affordability of Chinese solar panels is a key factor, making solar energy economically viable even for climate-agnostic nations.
- Demand in Africa varies: North Africa builds utility-scale plants, while Sub-Saharan Africa adopts off-grid rooftop solutions.
- Local communities, like a Kenyan village, are benefiting from small-scale solar solutions, bypassing the need for national grid access.
- African countries face a dilemma: rely on cheap Chinese imports or attempt to develop local solar manufacturing, which is currently minimal.