China’s solar power advances help Africa’s green transformation

Supplementary Resources

Mao said China’s advantages in the renewable energy chain complement the natural resources of Africa’s environment, which opens up enormous opportunities for cooperation between China and Africa in the development and utilization of solar energy.

In recent years, China’s photovoltaic industry has developed rapidly and has formed the world’s most complete photovoltaic industry chain with many advantages in technology, cost and scale. China is also a world leader in equipment manufacturing and engineering services related to photovoltaic applications, including energy storage and power transmission and distribution.

She added that Africa’s advantages stem from the fact that these regions enjoy abundant sunlight, making them among the richest sources of solar energy in the world.

Many African countries see the development of solar energy and other clean energy sources as crucial to solving energy shortages and accelerating the energy transformation.

Under Kenya’s Vision 2030, the country aims to achieve 100 percent electricity production from clean energy by 2030. South Africa has proposed to increase the share of clean energy, such as solar, in its energy mix from the current 7 percent to 40 percent by 2030. Construction of clean energy projects in Ethiopia, Uganda and other countries is also progressing steadily.

China-Africa cooperation in the field of clean energy has effectively solved the problem of energy shortages in African countries and provided strong support for Africa’s efforts to combat climate change and advance the green transformation, Mao said.

According to IRENA’s report on the renewable energy market in Africa, the continent has about 7,900 GW of technical potential for solar photovoltaics. As Africa’s economic and social development and industrialization progress, local electricity demand will continue to grow.

Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Energy Policy Studies at Xiamen University, said Africa’s rapid economic development in recent years has also led to the practical need for energy transformation, which has boosted the development of renewable energy on the continent.

Developing solar energy in Africa can help eliminate energy poverty, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create green jobs and improve the living conditions of local people, he added.

“Africa has benefited greatly from China’s growing green energy sector, especially in low-cost green energy products such as solar panels and batteries, as China’s renewable energy technologies are cost-effective, highly applicable and well-suited to African conditions,” he said.

“Strengthening China-Africa renewable energy cooperation not only enhances Africa’s sustainable development opportunities but also helps to overcome Africa’s technological gaps in related fields. Through each cooperation (effort), African countries have learned advanced technology and management experience from China.”

In the future, China can leverage its advantages in photovoltaics, batteries and mobile payments to not only supply equipment to African countries but also become developers and operators of PV projects. This commercially oriented approach will inject more vitality into Africa’s economy, he added.

According to Mao, in addition to existing forms of cooperation such as aid, trade, equipment supply, project contracting and enterprise investment, China may consider expanding cooperation with African countries in the development and use of solar energy.

She added that by strengthening technical exchange, sharing development experiences and increasing financial support, new areas of cooperation can be opened up.

Africa also has large resources in other renewable energy sources, such as wind power, geothermal energy and green hydrogen. These are areas where China and African countries can cooperate more pragmatically.