KHI Solar One in South Africa underscores vast solar potential across Africa
Concentrated solar plant near Upington produces 50 megawatts as the continent seeks to expand access to electricity and reduce reliance on coal
Deep in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, south of the Kalahari Desert, the KHI Solar One plant uses rows of mirrors that track the sun and concentrate its rays on a central tower to produce electricity. The plant’s receiver absorbs intense heat to boil water and generate high‑pressure steam that drives turbines, producing 50 megawatts of power — enough, operators say, to run more than 40,000 households for 24 hours.
KHI Solar One is one of several projects demonstrating the potential for solar to supply large‑scale, dispatchable power in a region long dependent on coal-fired plants. The facility’s concentrated solar approach — using heliostats to focus sunlight on a tower-mounted receiver — highlights a technology pathway distinct from photovoltaic panels and underscores the variety of renewable solutions gaining traction across the continent.
The plant’s operation arrives as hundreds of delegates convene in Addis Ababa for the Africa Climate Summit, where energy expansion and emissions reductions are central topics. International Energy Agency data show roughly 600 million people across Africa live without electricity, a shortfall that limits economic opportunity and impedes basic services such as lighting for students studying at night and power for household appliances.
Policymakers and energy planners have pointed to the continent’s abundant solar resources as a key asset in addressing both access and climate goals. Large swaths of Africa receive high solar irradiance, and declining costs for solar technologies have prompted increased investment in utility‑scale projects, distributed generation, and storage solutions. In South Africa, where the national grid remains heavily reliant on coal-fired stations, solar projects are part of broader efforts to diversify power sources and bolster grid resilience.
Analysts and development organizations say scaling renewable projects will require mobilizing substantial financing, strengthening transmission and distribution infrastructure, and coordinating regulatory frameworks to attract private investment. Projects such as KHI Solar One provide operational examples of how concentrated solar can contribute to baseload or near‑baseload supply, but experts caution that a mix of technologies and targeted policy support will be needed to close the continent’s electricity gap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As delegates discuss climate action in Addis Ababa this week, proponents say accelerating deployment of solar — including both photovoltaic arrays and concentrated solar power plants — could play a central role in expanding electrification while helping countries meet their climate commitments. The pace and scale of such expansion, stakeholders note, will depend on financing, regional cooperation, and investments in both generation and grid infrastructure.