Ethio Telecom and Huawei launch Africa’s first Solar-on-Tower, driving cleaner energy in telecom networks

Ethio Telecom, in partnership with Huawei, has announced the successful commercial rollout and steady operation of Africa’s first Solar-on-Tower solutions

The initiative represents a major step forward in Ethio Telecom’s strategy to transition toward a green, low carbon future. It aims to expand clean energy use, establish greener networks, and set a new technological milestone for the African telecommunications industry.

The Solar-on-Tower concept integrates photovoltaic panels directly onto telecom towers, offering a practical solution to the challenges of limited land availability and restricted space for solar installations in urban areas.

The first installation allowed the site to generate and consume its own solar power within just two days. Initial results show that solar power at these sites can last up to four hours, while diesel generator use has been reduced from six hours to two hours, equating to a 40% cut in fuel consumption per site.

In Addis Ababa, where thousands of telecom sites face space restrictions, adopting traditional ground mounted photovoltaic systems is not feasible. Solar-on-Tower therefore emerges as the first viable solution to enable Africa’s telecom sector to replace conventional energy sources with renewable power in such space limited scenarios.

Looking ahead, Ethio Telecom and Huawei plan to continue working together to develop high quality ICT energy infrastructure. Their shared goal is to promote greener, low carbon networks and enhance the resilience of telecom systems across the region.

The Sinovoltaics Middle East and Africa Solar Supply Chain Map currently identifies 27 factory sites. (Image source: Sinovoltaics)

For the first time, Sinovoltaics, a Hong Kong-based technical compliance and quality assurance firm, has unveiled a dedicated Solar Supply Chain Map for the Middle East and Africa

The map highlights the regions’ advancing ambitions to achieve full vertical integration in solar PV manufacturing. Covering the entire value chain, from polysilicon production to module assembly, the initiative underscores the growing role of the Middle East and Africa as supply hubs for both domestic demand and international markets, particularly in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

At present, the regions’ nameplate capacity includes 3.4 GW of PV modules, 2.5 GWof solar cells, and 8.05 GW of ingot production. Looking ahead to 2030, ambitious growth targets have been set. Projections indicate the Middle East and Africa could reach 62.12 GW of module manufacturing, 52.55 GW of solar cell capacity, 45 GW of polysilicon production, and 290,000 tons of metallurgical-grade silicon.

“This manufacturing expansion is designed to close supply gaps in regional markets and North America, where limited upstream solar component production and low tariffs create strong demand. Although challenges remain, such as grid infrastructure limitations and logistical bottlenecks, the MENA region’s solar manufacturing capacity is poised for significant growth,” said Dricus de Rooij, CEO and co-founder of Sinovoltaics.

While much of the planned capacity is being supported by Chinese companies, the Middle East and Africa are gradually positioning themselves as alternative suppliers to Southeast Asia, which has traditionally dominated global solar exports. With their strategic geographic location, the regions are well-placed to serve European markets and could also provide exports to North America depending on U.S. trade policies. However, South African modules still face a 30% tariff in the United States, limiting near-term opportunities.

The Sinovoltaics Middle East and Africa Solar Supply Chain Map currently identifies 27 factory sites. The report offers comprehensive details on facilities producing PV modules, solar cells, wafers, ingots, polysilicon, and metallurgical-grade silicon. Based largely on public announcements, this new resource provides valuable insights for industry stakeholders into the rapid industrialisation of the solar sector in the regions and is available for free download.

For comparative analysis of Asia’s solar manufacturing industry, including Southeast Asia, readers are encouraged to refer to Sinovoltaics’ Southeast Asia Solar Supply Chain Map.

Hybrid power solutions for Africa

Edith Kikonyogo, managing director – Africa at Aggreko talks resources, energy instability and the growing need for sustainable solutions that lower costs and reduce downtime

The cost of electricity in sub-Saharan Africa is 3,188% of income per capita, making it the highest globally and nearly 3.5 times the cost of the next highest region, South Asia.

While precise continent-wide gross domestic product (GDP) loss figures aren’t universally agreed on, the World Bank and a variety of academic institutions agree that unreliable and expensive energy supply is a significant inhibitor of competitiveness and economic growth.

For industrial operators across mining, manufacturing and oil and gas, reliable and cost-effective energy is both a development challenge and a risk multiplier – manufacturing enterprises experience an average of 56 days a year in power outages.

Energy instability increases downtime, inflates costs, and reduces competitiveness, and with grid unreliability and fuel price volatility becoming the norm rather than the exception, companies want options that give them both a sustainable foothold and a strategic advantage.

Hybrid systems, as a result, have become increasingly popular. They combine solar energy, battery storage and thermal generation to deliver a flexible, reliable and cost-effective energy supply.

They allow companies to generate power independently of the grid while smoothing out the intermittency challenges often associated with renewables.

Solar energy provides near-zero marginal cost electricity once installed with batteries storing surplus generation while helping to balance the load. Diesel and gas generators then act as fast-response backup solutions in the event solar is not sufficient. Combined, these three solutions provide operators with the agility to manage costs and guarantee uptime in even the harshest or most remote environments.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the global weighted average levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) from utility-scale solar PV fell by approximately 90% between 2010 and 2023, with a further 12% drop in 2023 alone.

In high-irradiance African countries, recent studies and project data show that the LCOE for utility-scale solar PV can reach as low as $0.04 per kWh, particularly in regions with strong solar resources and favourable financing, such as northern Ghana and parts of Botswana and Namibia.

For industrial operators, the financial upside of a hybrid system reliant on solar and with stable backup is clear. Clients switching to solar-plus-battery configurations can potentially save fuel costs of up to 15%, depending on irradiance, contract length and generator runtime. When the solution is extended across a multi-site operation, those savings can represent hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Beyond fuel, hybrid systems also reduce maintenance costs and fewer generator hours mean less wear and tear, longer service intervals and a lower chance of unplanned outages.

Battery storage smooths power delivery which allows thermal units to run at optimal loads rather than inefficient partial loads. The payoff is lower operational expenditure, more predictable cost curves and significantly improved uptime.

Uptime is Africa’s real competitive advantage. Uptime equals revenue, whether this is pumping water, refining ore or processing crops – the difference between 98% and 85% uptime is significant.

Hybrid systems directly improve this percentage and energy resilience. During peak solar hours, battery charging maximises renewable usage. At night or in overcast conditions, stored energy is dispatched first with thermal generators providing final backup, providing a layered architecture that ensures power continuity even during generator failures or sudden weather shifts.

In the context of Africa’s often fragile grids which are prone to loadshedding and voltage dips, control over energy is a lifeline, and an asset.

The climate case for hybrid power is also strong. Africa contributes just 3.9% of global carbon emissions but is among the hardest hit by climate shocks. As companies face increased scrutiny over their Scope 1 and 2 emissions, hybrid solutions provide a tangible way of decarbonising without compromising operational goals.

Aggreko’s hybrid model ensures companies achieve measurable emissions reductions by replacing diesel with solar and implementing smart controls that optimise generator loading and avoid inefficient idling. Introducing systems-level thinking, Aggreko helps companies manage costs and climate responsibilities with solutions that are scalable, modular and adaptable to Africa’s varied terrain and operational requirements. Unlike pure renewables which can be vulnerable to intermittency, or standalone thermal which is exposed to fuel price shocks, hybrid systems offer a practical middle ground.

From mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to agriculture in Zambia, hybrid energy installations are helping African operators move away from reactive energy spending and towards forward-planned, performance-driven power systems. And while many providers support this shift, success depends on hardware, systems design, local experience and the ability to manage complex energy flows in real-time – and that’s where Aggreko’s expertise makes the difference.

Read more:

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Solar panel sales to Africa are soaring (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Solar panel imports into Africa rose by 60% in the 12 months to June 2025, reflecting the positive momentum in the renewables segment

That is according to a new analysis of China’s solar panel exports data from energy think tank Ember.

“The take-off of solar in Africa is a pivotal moment,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s chief analyst.

The analysis shows that Africa’s solar panel imports set a new record in the 12 months to June 2025, reaching 15,032 MW — it marks a 60% increase on the 9,379 MW imported in the preceding 12 months.

The last time imports surged was in 2023, when South Africa solar imports picked up as the nation's power crisis hit its peak.

However, this time is different, according to Ember.

“Much of the pick-up in the last 12 months happened outside of South Africa,” it noted in a statement timed with the release of the analysis.

Key highlights include:

20 countries set a new record for the imports of solar panels in the 12 months to June 2025.

25 countries imported at least 100 MW, up from 15 countries 12 months before.

Growth markets

The analysis also shows the growth in individual markets, with some countries, notably Nigeria, seeing dynamic growth.

In the last 12 months to June 2025, Nigeria overtook Egypt to become the second-largest importer with 1,721 MW of solar panel imports in the past year, while Algeria ranked third with 1,199 MW.

Some countries recorded very high growth rates.

Algeria’s imports rose 33-fold, Zambia eightfold, Botswana sevenfold, and Sudan sixfold, while Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Benin, Angola and Ethiopia all more than tripled their imports.

The analysis finds that recent imports could make a major contribution to electricity generation in many African countries.

If fully installed, imports in Sierra Leone in the last 12 months could generate electricity equivalent to 61% of reported electricity generation in 2023, while in Chad the figure is 49%.

Liberia, Somalia, Eritrea, Togo and Benin could see generation rise by more than 10% of reported 2023 generation. In total, 16 countries could see an increase of over 5%.

Impact on diesel imports

The report also describes how solar panel imports may actually reduce overall imports.

The savings from avoiding diesel can repay the cost of a solar panel within six months in Nigeria, and even less in other countries, it notes.

In nine of the top 10 solar panel importers, the import value of refined petroleum eclipses the import value of solar panels by a factor of between 30 to 107.

However, more data and evidence needed to unlock this potential.

Despite the record imports of solar panels, there is no data to know how many have yet been installed.

“Bottom-up energy transitions fuelled by cheap solar are no longer a choice, they’re our future,” said Muhammad Mustafa Amjad, program director at Renewables First.

“Tracking these additions is what makes the difference between a messy shift and an organised, accelerated one.”

Amjad added: “When you don’t track, you lose time and opportunities. Pakistan’s experience shows this clearly. Africa’s transition will happen regardless, but with timely data it can be more equitable, planned and inclusive.”

Further evidence is urgently needed, Ember added, to understand the rapid rise in solar across Africa and its potential to expand electricity systems. “No single data source captures the full picture, and much more research and reporting are required."

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