China's prowess in solar aids Africa's green transition

Complementary resources

China's advantages in the renewable energy industry chain complement Africa's natural environmental endowments, Mao said, adding this opens up vast room for China-Africa cooperation in solar energy development and utilization.

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

Africa's advantages stem from regions possessing abundant sunshine, giving it some of the richest solar energy resources globally, she said.

Many African countries regard the development of solar and other clean energies as crucial for addressing power shortages and promoting energy transition.

According to Kenya's Vision 2030, the country aims to achieve 100 percent clean energy power generation by 2030. South Africa has proposed increasing the proportion of clean energy, such as solar power, in its energy mix from the current 7 percent to 40 percent by 2030. The construction of clean energy projects in Ethiopia, Uganda, and other countries is also progressing steadily.

China-Africa clean energy cooperation has effectively improved the power supply shortage situation in African countries and provided strong support for Africa's climate change response and green transition development, said Mao.

According to the IRENA's African renewable energy market report, the continent has about 7,900 GW of solar PV technical potential. As Africa's economic and social development and industrialization advance, local electricity demand will continue to grow.

Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, said the rapid economic development in Africa in recent years has also led to a practical demand for energy transition, providing momentum for the continent's development of renewable energy.

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

"Africa has benefited immensely from China's growing green energy industry, especially affordable green energy products like solar panels and batteries, as Chinese renewable energy technologies are cost-effective, highly applicable, and well-suited for African conditions," he said.

"Strengthening Sino-African renewable energy cooperation not only enhances Africa's sustainable development capabilities but also helps bridge Africa's technological gaps in related fields. Through each cooperation (effort), African countries have learned advanced technologies and management experiences 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 can explore more cooperation with African countries in solar energy development and utilization.

By strengthening technical exchanges, sharing development experiences, and increasing financing support, new spaces for cooperation can be opened up, she said.

Africa is also rich in other renewable energies like wind, geothermal, and green hydrogen, which are areas where China and African countries can conduct more pragmatic cooperation.