The Statistical Review of World Energy 2026 was released recently and with it comes an easily accessible dataset. I used it to create the chart below, which shows the amount of electricity in terawatt hours (TWh) generated by wind and solar in South Africa per year since 2015. Solar generation overtook wind in 2025 and has risen steadily since to 18.6TWh in 2025. Wind generation, on the other hand, hasn’t increased since 2023. In 2025, wind and solar together generated 29.9TWh.
Compare the chart above with the one below, which uses statistics published by the National Transmission Company (NTCSA) in its weekly system status report. In 2025, wind contributed 11.3GWh to the electricity distributed by the NTCSA, far more than solar. In fact, there was 12TWh more solar generated, according to the Statistical Review, than the 6.5TWh contribution reported by the NTCSA. This is an indication of the extent of behind-the-meter and off-grid solar generation in this country.
Why has wind generation plateaued? The last time an independent power producer won a bid to build a wind farm in the government’s renewable energy procurement programme (REIPPPP) was in bid window 5 in 2021. Bid windows 6 and 7 were all solar projects. Grid space was an issue for wind projects in the REIPPPP programme.
Also, the vast majority of private renewable projects registered with Nersa are solar. But, interestingly, 29 big wind projects (over 50MW) have been registered with Nersa since 2023. If those get built and connected to the grid they could add 5GW of capacity.
📢 Outlier Renew has started new Africa Electricity Monthly Report where we compile information about project updates, financing deals, contracts and acquisitions that we add to our database each month. Our first report for May 2026 is available to download here. The June report will be available on 15 July.
RENEWABLE PIN-UP
Some of the 526MWh of battery storage at Kamoa Copper in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Photo: Matt Tilleard, co-founder of the CrossBoundary Group/LinkedIn)
How do you guarantee round-the-clock power from the sun for one of the world’s largest copper operations? You build battery storage. Kamoa Copper’s energy strategy in the Democratic Republic of Congo is not just to build solar panels, but to engineer solar and battery storage to deliver baseload power – a continuous, guaranteed supply, something the mining industry has long assumed only hydro, gas, or diesel could reliably do for heavy industry. By December 2025, the mining complex had a total power demand of 208MW and no on-site solar. The two solar-plus-battery facilities, owned and operated by CrossBoundary Energy and Green World Energie under power purchase agreements with Kamoa Copper, are being commissioned and expected to reach full capacity of 60MW of continuous baseload power, with Kamoa Copper as sole offtaker, during Q3 2026.
Location: Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo
Commodity mined: Copper
Activity: Mining and smelting
Partnerships: CrossBoundary Energy, Green World Energie (signed in 2025)
Total capacity with both partners:433MWp
Total battery storage: 1,107MWh
Current power: Hydropower, the national grid, diesel generators
NEWS WRAP
☀️ The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved generation licences for four solar projects under the government’s REIPPPP bid window 7. Red Rocket SA is developing three of the projects, the 278MW Sculptor Energy facility in Mpumalanga and the 277MW Springhaas Solar Facility I and 206MW Springhaas Solar Facility VI projects in the Free State. The fourth project is Engie’s 288MW Corona Energy project, also in the Free State. Together they are contracted to add 890MW to the grid.
⚡️ Nersa has also approved licences for Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality in Limpopo to operate an electricity distribution facility and conduct electricity trading. The approval applies to three areas that have been identified for electrification projects.
🔋 Envision Energy has won a contract to supply the 660MWh battery energy storage system for the Naos 1 solar and battery project. The project will supply wheeled electricity to Sasol and Air Liquide. The project, which is being developed by SOLA Group, reached financial close in February.
💰 Maia Capital Partners has provided R150-million mezzanine debt funding to renewable energy company Nesa Power. The funding will be used to acquire solar PV sites and expand its power purchase agreement portfolio.
📚 The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation has selected the Perseverance industrial zone in Nelson Mandela Bay to be part of a global study into green energy and carbon footprint reduction. The initiative could put the Perseverance cluster on the radar of international investors and serve as a blueprint for other business clusters, reports Daily Maverick.
💰 The International Finance Corporation has invested $10-million in CrossBoundary Access to finance the construction of new projects that provide reliable electricity access to underserved communities. CrossBoundary currently operates in Nigeria and Madagascar.
INSIGHTS & EVENTS
Claimed battery ranges look great on paper. But real-world highway driving, air conditioning, and elevation changes tell a different story. 🛣️🔋
On 15 July, Nafisa Akabor and William Kelly will join Out to Lunch with The Outlier to unpack the realities of EV ownership in SA.
If you’ve been sitting on the fence because of range anxiety, this conversation is for you.
📆 15 July 2026
🕑 1:00 PM SAST
💻 Webinar
Sign up here.
💻 Experts from Argentina and Chile will exchange practical insights on planning for growth, prioritising infrastructure investment and creating conditions for investor confidence in the first episode of the Global Grid Expansion Dialogue Series, season two, on 21 July at 2pm. To join the session, register here.