The Middle East and Africa (MEA) will see its solar PV installations grow by 15% during 2024 to 17.1GW, according to a new report by SolarPower Europe.
The Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2024-2028 report indicates that 2023 saw the MEA region grow 78% during 2023 – with 14.8GW of new solar energy outpacing the 2022 record of 8.3GW.
According to the report, this is due to increased installations during 2023. This is a situation SolarPower Europe expects will continue.
2023 also saw an additional 447GW in solar PV capacity: 87% more than in 2022 (239GW installed). Globally, installed capacity rose to 1,624GW by 2023’s end. This was 38% more than in 2022 (1,177GW).
A deeper look
Despite the MEA region’s growth, the report notes that this did not change its position as the smallest solar region in the world, or its 3% market share. The region made up three of the 31GW-scale 2023 solar markets (countries that installed at least 1GW).
The UAE added to its GW capacity for the first time since 2019 due to the completion of the Al Dhadra solar project in Abu Dhabi – contributing 2GW to the UAE’s overall installation of 3.1GW over the year.
South Africa installed 3.2GW, which resulted in a 142% growth rate. This was due to “private utility-scale” solar projects which bloomed after changes to regulations in 2022 and an increased demand for home solar installations.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia installed 1.9GW overall. This was due to the initial phase of the Sudair Solar Project – contributing 1.5GW.
The report predicts that South Africa and Saudi Arabia will maintain their positions in the GW-scale international scene, with South Africa expecting to take the top spot for the second year running. South Africa’s growth is expected to raise the MEA region’s capacity from 3.5GW, while Saudi Arabia is expected to only contribute 20% – a decrease of 1.5GW.
As it will likely only provide 5% (0.8GW) of capacity to the MEA region, the UAE is not anticipated to feature in the 2024 GW-scale market. This is a marked decline from 2023’s figure of 21%, as no large solar PV projects are taking place this year.
