Renewable Energy Technologies in the Global South: Insights from Africa

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the gap between Africa's vast renewable energy potential and its current capacity. It highlights the continent's critical role in the global energy transition due to its abundance of solar, wind, and hydro resources, as well as essential critical minerals. The document outlines systemic barriers to progress, including insufficient financing, a heavy reliance on imported technology, and a lack of local manufacturing. It proposes strategic interventions for the African Union and G20 to enhance technology transfer, mobilize climate finance, and integrate African nations into green value chains beyond the supply of raw materials.

• Africa possesses immense untapped renewable energy resources, hosting 60% of global solar resources while exploiting less than 1%. Additionally, 89% of its hydropower potential remains untapped, and its wind resources could produce approximately 180,000 Terawatt hours (TWh) annually.
• The continent faces a severe energy access crisis, with approximately 600 million people lacking electricity (43% of the population in 2021) and 970 million lacking clean cooking energy. These figures are projected to increase, with the number of people without electricity expected to double by 2030 and those without clean cooking energy reaching 1 billion by 2030.
• Africa is a critical source of minerals for the global energy transition, holding 40% of global critical mineral reserves. Key examples include the DRC producing over 70% of global cobalt, South Africa producing 90% of global platinum group metal reserves, and Guinea possessing the world's largest bauxite reserves.
• There is a significant financing gap for Africa's energy needs, requiring $557 billion by 2030 and $3 trillion by 2050. Despite this, Africa accounted for only 0.6% of the $434 billion global renewable energy investment in 2021, with annual climate finance flows at only $30 billion that year.
• Africa is heavily dependent on imported renewable technology and has minimal participation in intellectual property creation, contributing less than 1% of total global clean energy patent applications. The US, Japan, Germany, and China together hold 75% of renewable energy patents.
• The electric mobility sector in Africa is in its early stages, with fewer than 3,000 electric vehicles in circulation by 2021 (less than 1% of the global total). Adoption is hindered by high ownership costs due to a lack of local manufacturing, limited charging infrastructure, and aging energy systems.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2024). Renewable Energy Technologies in the Global South: Insights from Africa. https://saiia.org.za/research/renewable-energy-technologies-in-the-global-south-insights-from-africa/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Renewable Energy Technologies in the Global South: Insights from Africa. 2024. https://saiia.org.za/research/renewable-energy-technologies-in-the-global-south-insights-from-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Renewable Energy Technologies in the Global South: Insights from Africa |date=26 July 2024 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/renewable-energy-technologies-in-the-global-south-insights-from-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2024renewable, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Renewable Energy Technologies in the Global South: Insights from Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/renewable-energy-technologies-in-the-global-south-insights-from-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }