- African nations generated 24 per cent of their electricity from renewables in 2023, below the global average
- Solar was the main supplier of electricity growth worldwide
Kenya is among African countries that are leveraging on renewable energy adoption, only ranking behind Senegal and Morocco.
The fifth Global Energy Review Report from think-tank Ember shows that Kenya is ahead of the global average of 13 per cent.
That is despite the world passing a 30 per cent renewable electricity milestone, which Africa is still lagging behind.
“Nonetheless, some major economies in the region (Africa) are far ahead of the global average of 13%, including Kenya, Senegal, and Morocco with each generate around a fifth (20%) of their electricity from solar and wind,” the report released on Wednesday shows.
In comparison, African nations generated 24 per cent of their electricity from renewables in 2023, below the global average.
Hydropower remains the largest source of clean electricity among African nations, generating 17 percent of the region’s electricity in 2023.
Renewables almost fully power some countries because of their hydroelectric resources, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Zambia.
Wind and solar generate just 6 per cent of the region’s electricity.
Solar was the main supplier of electricity growth worldwide, maintaining its status as the world’s fastest-growing electricity source for the 19th consecutive year, and surpassed wind to become the largest source of new electricity for the second year running.
“The renewable future has arrived,” Dave Jones, Ember’s director of global insights said.
“Solar in particular is accelerating faster than anyone thought possible. Many African nations have huge solar potential but this has yet to be harnessed fully.”
Despite a lack of policy incentives, there has been a boom in rooftop solar in South Africa, which has seen solar generation more than double in the last two years to reach 6.8% of the country’s electricity in 2023.
The rapid growth in solar and wind energy has brought about a crucial turning point where fossil fuel generation starts to decline at a global level.
Already, clean electricity growth has helped to slow the growth of fossil fuels by almost two-thirds in the last ten years.
“The decline of power sector emissions is now inevitable. 2023 was likely the pivot point—peak emissions in the power sector—a major turning point in the history of energy,” Jones added.
Since 2000, renewables have expanded from 19 per cent to more than 30 percent of global electricity, driven by an increase in solar and wind from 0.2 percent in 2000 to a record 13.4 percent in 2023.
As a result, the CO2 intensity of global power generation reached a new record low in 2023, 12 per cent lower than its peak in 2007.
“But the pace of emissions falls depends on how fast the renewables revolution continues. We already know the key enablers that help countries unleash the full potential of solar and wind,” Jones said.
“There’s an unprecedented opportunity for countries that choose to be at the forefront of the clean energy future.”
Senior Advisor, Climate and Renewable Energy at Power Shift Africa, Amos Wemanya, said despite its substantial potential, Africa lags behind the global average.
“Today, the cost of capital for renewable energy projects in Africa can be up to seven times higher than in the developed world.
"As the world transitions to a renewable energy future, it must recognise Africa's urgent need for financial support and the means of implementation, such as technology to tap into its abundant renewables potential,” Wemanya said.
“It is encouraging that African countries like Kenya lead the continent in the uptake of solar and wind power and even surpass the global average. The world is morally obligated not to leave Africa behind in this transition.''
Renewables in Africa present an opportunity to spur socioeconomic benefits to communities, economic growth and prosperity for countries. and to address the pervasive energy poverty and injustice that have plagued the continent for decades.
The report underscores how key enablers—high-level policy ambition, incentive mechanisms, and flexibility solutions—are driving rapid growth in solar and wind, particularly in countries such as China, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey says 58 per cent of Kenyan households have electricity, including 90 per cent in urban households and 36 per cent in rural households.
KDHS says 24 per cent of the household population in Kenya has access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking, including stoves and cookers using electricity, LPG/natural gas/biogas, solar, and alcohol/ethanol.
The use of clean fuels and technology for cooking is substantially higher in urban areas than in rural areas, at 59 percent versus six percent.
The Global Electricity Review provides the first comprehensive overview of the global power system in 2023 based on country-level data.
It was published on Wednesday alongside the world’s first open dataset on electricity generation in 2023, covering 80 countries representing 92 percent of global electricity demand, as well as historic data for 215 countries.
At the UN’s COP28 climate change conference in December last year, world leaders reached a historic agreement to triple global renewable capacity by 2030.
The target would see the world reach 60 percent renewable electricity by 2030, which would almost halve power sector emissions and put the world on a pathway aligned with the 1.5C climate goal.
In last year’s Nairobi Declaration, African leaders called for financing to deliver a fivefold increase in renewable capacity by 2030 in the region.
The Economic Survey Report for 2022 indicates increasing cases of diseases of the respiratory system are largely associated with air pollution.
The survey shows that cases handled in 2020 were 16,562,227, while in 2021, reported cases were 20,613,455, an increase of 21.9 percent.