A new report by Ember, a global energy think tank focused on accelerating the transition to clean electricity, estimates that Nigeria will install 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of solar power in 2026, as the use of solar energy continues to expand across the country.
The growth is part of a wider increase in solar installations across Africa, with the continent expected to add a record 17GW of solar capacity in 2026, a 45 per cent increase from the previous year, the report found.
However, much of the expansion is not reflected in official statistics, according to the report, largely because most of the new capacity is coming from small-scale solar systems installed by households and businesses for their own electricity needs.
These systems, known as distributed solar, are often installed on the customer side of the electricity network and are more difficult for governments and utilities to track than large solar farms.
The findings are contained in the report titled “The take-off in African solar that official statistics can’t yet see,” produced by Ember in partnership with African Tech Futures Lab (ATFL).
