African firms scramble to make solar panels amid high demand

July 15, 2025

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Kenya’s leading power producer, Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen), is set to start manufacturing solar panels, inverters and batteries after receiving government approval. The company aims to diversify revenues, cutting reliance on national utility Kenya Power by capitalising on Kenya’s surging demand for affordable and reliable solar energy.

  • Kenya’s installed solar capacity has grown to over 410 MW, with KenGen planning a 42.5 MW floating solar plant. The company seeks to tap into the local and regional demand for solar panels and kits to grow its revenues. Three-quarters of its revenues are currently generated from electricity sales.  

  • Investment in local production of renewable energy components is accelerating. Kenya’s KenGen follows others such as TOYO in Ethiopia, Art Solar in South Africa, and Auxano Solar in Nigeria.

  • Our take: The question of African manufacturing viability is no longer up for debate… Read more (2 min)

Fuel prices tracked by Renewables Rising show a significant increase in petrol and diesel prices in Kenya for July. Petrol’s cost climbed by 6.45%, and diesel by 6.27%. Meanwhile, electricity prices for both residential and commercial consumers dropped by Ksh 0.43 and Ksh 0.40, respectively. Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa all registered slight variations.

  • We monitor power price fluctuations in local currencies across four representative countries: Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria. The data is collected from public sources every month.

  • The decrease in electricity prices for consumers in Kenya can be attributed to increased hydropower generation following improved rainfall in key catchment areas, reducing reliance on costly thermal plants.

  • Our take: The drop in electricity prices for this cycle offers fleeting relief but does little to counteract the systemic risk of volatile fossil markets… Read more (2 min)

Data centres are sprouting in Africa as more people get connected to the internet, boosting demand for power-hungry machines. Bilha Ndirangu sees this as an opportunity for Africa to build data centres reliant on clean energy. In an opinion article today, she writes about how these centres can become the backbone of a climate-resilient digital infrastructure.

  • Ms Ndirangu serves as the CEO of Great Carbon Valley, a venture working to harness the Great Rift Valley's resources for global decarbonisation, developing large-scale green industry and carbon removal projects.

  • She believes that AI and renewable energy are a "power couple". If pursued together, they can reinforce each other, driving inclusive growth while sidestepping the environmental costs that have plagued other regions.

  • Read the full opinion article here… (2 min)

The Africa Minigrid Developers Association team convene in Nigeria for a talk on strengthening Nigeria’s energy access ecosystem

Events

🗓️ Attend the 4th African Natural Resources & Energy Investment Summit (Jul 17)

🗓️ Learn about Growing Clean Energy in West Africa’s Energy Mix (Jul 17)

🗓️ Participate in the Solar Operation & Maintenance Excellence webinar (Jul 19)

Jobs

🦺 Become Scatec Solar's PV Plant and O&M Operator (Tunisia)

👷🏻‍♀️ Lead OnePower’s Productive Use of Electricity Operations (Lesotho)

👷🏻‍♂️ Join Zutari as an Electrical Technician (South Africa)

Various 

💵 CrossBoundary Energy secures $60m for Kamoa Copper Project

⚡ Nigeria launches "Mission 300" delivery and monitoring unit

🔌 Zambian President inaugurates 100 MW Kabwe Solar Project

Seen on LinkedIn 

Wairimu Wanjiku, Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen intern at GIZ Kenya, says, “We do not have the luxury of choosing one option/source over the other; it’s kind of all hands on deck for Africa's Energy Transition. Each country should look at their existing Energy mix and prioritise based on its development goals.”