Cheap Solar Is Transforming Lives and Economies Across Africa

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 8 min read 100% complete by Somini Sengupta and Gulshan KhanDecember 30, 2025 at 11:00 AM

AI Summary

long article 8 min

Across Africa, affordable Chinese solar panels are rapidly transforming lives and economies. Businesses and families are increasingly adopting solar and battery systems, reducing their reliance on traditional power grids and challenging established utilities. This shift, particularly prominent in South Africa, has seen solar energy rise from near zero in 2019 to roughly 10% of the country's electricity-generating capacity. The affordability of these systems provides a solution to unreliable and expensive electricity, impacting various sectors from factories to homes. This bottom-up movement is driven by China's ambition to lead in clean energy and is being replicated across the continent.

Keywords

cheap solar 90% africa 80% solar panels 80% electricity 70% south africa 60% energy 60% clean energy 50% utilities 50% power cuts 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Positive
Score: 0.70

Source Transparency

Source
New York Times - World
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.30)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Network visualization showing 51 related topics
View Full Graph
Explore Full Topic Graph