Kenya battery prices plummet by 10.71% in a month

From the newsletter

Lithium-ion battery average prices in Kenya saw a 10.71% drop to Ksh 148,667 in the past month, according to industry data analysed by Renewables Rising. Egypt registered a 0.8% drop in battery prices in the same month. Of the four countries we track regularly, South Africa is the only one that registered a marginal increase in battery prices in this period.

• The drop in battery prices in both Kenya and Egypt has been identified by insiders as being driven by discount offered by retailers. The policy environment and the currency markets have been mostly stable.

• Renewables Rising tracks and analyses monthly data on key energy products—solar panels, inverters, solar home systems, and lithium-ion batteries—across representative countries in Africa.

More details

• Besides lithium-ion batteries, the price of solar panels in Kenya remained relatively unchanged, except for a slight dip in July. The country, through its electric producer, KenGen, is setting up a solar home systems manufacturing plant with provision for inverters and batteries. The company is profiting from the country's demand for renewable solutions.

• Egypt’s battery prices have been on a downward trend, dropping by 3.7% since July. It is actively expanding its battery energy storage portfolio, including the commissioning of the country's first large-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) by AMEA Power, and plans to deploy two new standalone BESS plants with a combined capacity of 1,500 MWh in the Aswan and Red Sea Governorates. Solar panel prices remained stable over the same period.

• South Africa, of the four countries, showed the most varied changes in product pricing. Its solar panel prices dropped on average from 2,154 Rands to 2,115 Rands. Its batteries, however, registered a slight increase of 1.8%. Overall, South Africa has shown the most fluctuation in product prices since the onset of 2025.

• Nigeria also saw an increase in solar panel prices with a slight drop in inverter prices from 667,500 on average to 623,167 in September. Solar panel prices also increased slightly by 86 Naira to 148,986 Naira. 

Our take

• The future of product pricing hinges on policymakers' ability to create a stable, predictable, and supportive environment for renewable energy. This involves transparent policy decisions and strategic planning to meet growing demand without causing market shocks.

• Enhancing local production content is critical to shielding against global price fluctuations. Although still nascent, the progress being made in local renewable manufacturing is essential within global supply chains.

• Overall, as China clamps down on overcapacity in its solar and battery manufacturing sectors, a market correction is underway, pushing manufacturers toward cost-reflective pricing. The continent must brace for higher prices while accelerating local manufacturing efforts to mitigate external shocks.