South Africa Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend
South Africa generated 19.5 TWh of electricity from solar in 2025, 8.0% of its total, according to Ember. That made it the 19th largest solar power producer in 2025 of the 180 countries with Ember data, comparing each country's latest year. Solar supplied 8.8% of the world's electricity in 2025. These are annual statistics for 2025, with monthly figures through June 2026; they are
compiled from national sources and are not real time.
Key Facts
South Africa generated 19.5 TWh of electricity from solar in 2025.
Solar supplied 8.0% of South Africa's electricity in 2025.
South Africa was the 19th largest solar power producer in 2025 among the 180 countries with Ember data, comparing each country's latest year.
South Africa's solar generation in 2025 was 179% higher than in 2020, when it was 6.98 TWh.
South Africa's solar generation in 2025 was 712% higher than in 2015, when it was 2.40 TWh.
2025 was South Africa's highest year for solar generation in Ember's records, which start in 2000.
South Africa's solar share in 2025 was below the world share of 8.8%.
South Africa had 11.3 GW of solar generating capacity in 2025.
Key Figures, 2025
Measure
Value
As of / source
Solar generation
19.5 TWh
2025 · Ember
Share of South Africa's electricity
8.0%
2025 · Ember
World share of solar
8.8%
2025 · Ember
Rank by solar generation (each country's latest year)
19 of 180
2025 · Ember
Solar capacity
11.3 GW
2025 · Ember
Solar Generation Year by Year
Ember annual statistics, 2000 to 2025
Solar
South Africa's electricity generation from solar each year from 2000 to 2025, in TWh. It was 19.5 TWh in 2025.
Annual statistics through 2025, TWh
South Africa solar electricity generation, 2000 to 2025
Year
Solar
2000
0 TWh
2001
0 TWh
2002
20.0 GWh
2003
20.0 GWh
2004
20.0 GWh
2005
20.0 GWh
2006
20.0 GWh
2007
20.0 GWh
2008
20.0 GWh
2009
20.0 GWh
2010
20.0 GWh
2011
20.0 GWh
2012
30.0 GWh
2013
50.0 GWh
2014
1.08 TWh
2015
2.40 TWh
2016
3.01 TWh
2017
3.94 TWh
2018
4.54 TWh
2019
5.40 TWh
2020
6.98 TWh
2021
7.84 TWh
2022
10.5 TWh
2023
14.8 TWh
2024
18.3 TWh
2025
19.5 TWh
South AfricaWorld
The share of South Africa's electricity generated from solar, 2000 to 2025, compared with the world share. In 2025 it was 8.0%, against 8.8% worldwide.
Annual statistics through 2025, % of generation
Share of South Africa's electricity from solar and the world share, 2000 to 2025
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2025. World shares are Ember's World totals; ranks compare each country's latest year, which can differ between countries.
Solar Generation Month by Month
Ember monthly statistics through June 2026
Solar
South Africa generated 1.11 TWh of electricity from solar in June 2026, against 1.18 TWh in June 2025.
Monthly statistics through June 2026, TWh
South Africa monthly solar electricity generation, July 2024 to June 2026
Month
Solar
2024-07
1.15 TWh
2024-08
1.37 TWh
2024-09
1.46 TWh
2024-10
1.79 TWh
2024-11
1.82 TWh
2024-12
1.90 TWh
2025-01
1.87 TWh
2025-02
1.43 TWh
2025-03
1.39 TWh
2025-04
1.16 TWh
2025-05
1.29 TWh
2025-06
1.18 TWh
2025-07
1.23 TWh
2025-08
1.48 TWh
2025-09
1.51 TWh
2025-10
1.96 TWh
2025-11
1.84 TWh
2025-12
2.22 TWh
2026-01
2.36 TWh
2026-02
1.72 TWh
2026-03
1.58 TWh
2026-04
1.20 TWh
2026-05
1.08 TWh
2026-06
1.11 TWh
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of June 2026. Monthly figures for South Africa can differ slightly from the annual totals.