How much solar PV will Africa have by 2030?

IRENA estimates that with the right enabling policies, Africa could be home to more than 70 gigawatts of solar PV capacity by 2030. The report discusses challenges in policy making and proposes a co-ordinated effort to collect data on the installed costs of solar PV in Africa, across all market segments.

How much does solar cost in Africa?

Stand-alone solar PV mini-grids have installed costs in Africa as low as USD 1.90 per watt for systems larger than 200 kilowatt. Solar home systems provide the annual electricity needs of off-grid households for as little as USD 56 per year, less than the average price for poor quality energy services.

How much does a solar PV mini-grid cost in Africa?

Stand-alone solar PV mini-grids or solar PV-hybrid mini-grids have installed costs in Africa ranging from USD 1.9 to USD 5.9/W for systems greater than 200 kW. Solar PV mini-grids that came online in 2012 or earlier have higher costs.

How much solar PV is installed in Africa?

IRENA data and statistics show that Africa’s total cumulative installed capacity of solar PV jumped from around 500 MW in 2013 to around 1 330 MW in 2014 and 2 100 MW at the end of 2015 (Figure 7). Total installed solar PV capacity therefore more than quadrupled in two years.

Can Africa double its solar power capacity by 2030?

However, Africa’s potential far surpasses today’s deployment and rates of new additions. In IRENA’s REmap analysis of how to double the share of renewable energy in the world’s energy system by 2030, Africa could see total installed capacity of solar PV increase to 70 GW or more.

What is the largest solar PV market in Africa?

This is an important issue, because although the utility- scale grid-connected solar PV market is the largest market in Africa in terms of MW deployed, the of-grid market is the largest in terms of number of systems deployed (IRENA, 2015b). The of- grid market comprises SHS and mini-grid systems.