The future looks bright for Africa's solar energy output
![Africa has a high solar energy potential that still remains to be tapped.](https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/xiQknhoKD3MC8V3LTVCS99RfpiT4DWihvqQ2NgAlZ-A.jpg)
Africa has a high solar energy potential that still remains to be tapped. Image: Unsplash/
![A hand holding a looking glass by a lake](/uplink.jpg)
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:
Africa
- New figures from the World Bank reveal the average potential of solar energy around the world, with Africa leading the charge.
- Long-term output exceeding 4.5kWh/kWp per day is described as 'excellent conditions for solar power'.
- Africa's average long-term practical yield of a utility scale solar energy installation is 4.51 kWh/kWp/day.
- The untapped solar energy potential in Africa represents an opportunity to provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy to its people.
Figures from the Global Solar Atlas for The World Bank, as analyzed by Statista, reveal the average potential of solar energy around the world and as this infographic shows, Africa is out in front. When combining the average long-term practical yield of a utility scale solar energy installation in each country, Africa's 4.51 kWh/kWp/day is ahead of second-placed Central & South America's 4.48, while North America is further behind on 4.37.
The assessments "exclude areas due to physical/technical constraints, such as rugged terrain, presence of urbanized/industrial areas, forests, and areas that are too distant from the centers of human activity", but do not consider “soft constraints, i.e., areas that might be unsuitable due to regulations imposed by national or regional authorities (such as conservation of cropland or nature conservation)".
Solar energy potential of Africa
To put the figures in context, roughly 20 percent of the world population lives in 70 countries which possess "excellent conditions" for solar power - meaning long-term output exceeding 4.5 kWh/kWp per day. On a world region basis, only the countries in Africa average together above this threshold. A lot of this solar energy potential in the less developed countries of Africa is still untapped, but as the source states, represents "a unique opportunity to provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity services to a large share of humanity where improved economic opportunities and quality of life are the most needed".
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Related topics:
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on Geographies in DepthSee all
Sarah Rickwood, Sue Bailey and Daniel Mora-Brito
August 13, 2024
Mthuli Ncube
August 13, 2024
John Letzing
August 12, 2024
Mohamed Elshabik
August 9, 2024
Camilo Tellez-Merchan and Gisela Davico
August 7, 2024
Pamposh Raina
August 6, 2024