600 million people in Africa live without access to electricity, representing approximately 48% of Africa’s total population. Africa’s energy supply capacity is also being further weakened by the combined effects of the Newcastle pneumonia epidemic and the international energy crisis. At the same time, Africa is the world’s second most populous and fastest growing continent, with more than a quarter of the world’s population by 2050, and it is foreseeable that Africa will face increasing pressure on energy development and utilization.

The International Energy Agency’s latest report, Africa Energy Outlook 2022, released in June this year, shows that the number of people without access to electricity in Africa has increased by 25 million since 2021, and the number of people without access to electricity in Africa has increased by about 4% compared to 2019. In its analysis of the situation in 2022, the International Energy Agency believes that Africa’s electricity access index could fall further, given the high international energy prices and the increased economic burden they pose to African countries.

But at the same time, Africa has 60% of the world’s solar energy resources, as well as other abundant wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and other renewable energy sources, making Africa the world’s last hotbed of renewable energy has not yet been developed on a large scale. According to IRENA, by 2030, Africa could meet nearly a quarter of its energy needs through the use of indigenous, clean renewable energy sources. Helping Africa develop these green energy sources to benefit its people is one of the missions of Chinese companies going into Africa today, and Chinese companies are proving that they are living up to their mission with their practical actions.

The second phase of China-aided solar-powered traffic signal project in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, held a groundbreaking ceremony in Abuja on September 13. According to reports, China’s assistance to Abuja solar energy traffic signal project is divided into two phases, a project completed 74 intersections of solar energy traffic signal, September 2015 after the transfer of good operation. China and Nigeria signed a cooperation agreement for the second phase of the project in 2021 to build solar-powered traffic signals at the remaining 98 intersections in the capital area to realize all intersections in the capital area unattended. Now China is making good on its promise to Nigeria to further light up the streets of the capital Abuja with solar energy.

In June this year, the first photovoltaic power plant in the Central African Republic, the Sakai photovoltaic power plant, was connected to the grid, the power plant by China Energy Construction Tianjin Electric Power Construction General Contractor, with an installed capacity of 15 MW, its completion can meet about 30% of the electricity demand of the Central African capital Bangui, greatly promoting local social and economic development. The short construction period of the PV power plant project is green and environmental friendly, and the large installed capacity can immediately solve the local electricity shortage problem. The project has also provided about 700 job opportunities during the construction process, helping local workers to master various skills.

Although Africa has 60% of the world’s solar energy resources, it only has 1% of the world’s photovoltaic power generation devices, indicating that the development of renewable energy, especially solar energy, in Africa is very promising. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released the “Global Status Report on Renewable Energy 2022″ shows that despite the impact of the Newcastle pneumonia epidemic, Africa will still sell 7.4 million off-grid solar products in 2021, making it the world’s largest market. Among them, Eastern Africa has the highest sales with 4 million units; Kenya is the largest country in the region with 1.7 million units sold; Ethiopia ranks second with 439,000 units sold. Sales in Central and Southern Africa grew significantly, with Zambia up 77 percent, Rwanda up 30 percent and Tanzania up 9 percent. West Africa sales of 1 million sets, the scale is relatively small. In the first half of this year, the African region imported a total of 1.6GW of Chinese PV modules, an increase of 41% year-on-year.

It can be seen that PV-related ancillary products have a large market in Africa. For example, Chinese company Huawei’s Digital Power launched a full range of FusionSolar smart PV and energy storage system solutions to the sub-Saharan African market at Solar Power Africa 2022. The solutions include FusionSolar Smart PV Solution 6.0+, which enables PV systems to adapt to various grid scenarios, especially in weak grid environments. Meanwhile, the Residential Smart PV Solution and the Commercial & Industrial Smart PV Solution provide a full range of clean energy experiences for homes and businesses, respectively, including bill optimization, proactive security, smart operations and maintenance, and smart assistance to enhance the experience. These solutions are very helpful in driving the widespread adoption of renewable energy throughout Africa.

There are also various PV residential products invented by the Chinese, which are also very popular among African people. In Kenya, a solar-powered bicycle that can be used for transportation and selling goods on the street is gaining local popularity; solar backpacks and solar-powered umbrellas are selling well in the South African market, and these products can be used for charging and lighting in addition to themselves, which are perfect for the local environment and market in Africa.

In order for Africa to make better use of renewable energy, including solar energy, and promote economic stability, China has so far implemented hundreds of clean energy and green development projects within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, supporting African countries to better utilize the advantages of solar energy, hydropower, wind energy, biogas and other clean energy, and helping Africa to move steadily and far ahead on the road to independent and sustainable development.