The latest semi-annual Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report published by GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar industry, with support from Efficiency for Access and the World Bank Group’s Lighting Global Program shows that GOGLA affiliates sold 9.5 million solar energy kits in 2022.
The new report shares data from July to December of 2022 and allows for estimates of total sales for 2022. Data is gathered from leading off-grid solar companies that represent around 28% of the overall off-grid solar market (termed ‘GOGLA affiliates’).
After COVID affected sales in 2020 and 2021, clear signs of recovery in 2022 mean an increased number of beneficiaries. This is a positive sign. However, to reach SDG7 and optimize the productive use of energy (PUE), sales of solar energy kits and PUE technologies still need to accelerate rapidly. More than 700 million people still live without electricity access, 40% of whom live in markets with only nascent off-grid solar markets.
Key takeaways:
- Today, 104 million people benefit from improved access to energy through off-grid solar energy kits from GOGLA affiliates and close to 15 million are benefiting from improved access to appliances.
- In the past decade, 98 million metric tons of CO2e have been avoided through the sale of off-grid solar solutions by affiliate companies, the equivalent of taking 26 coal-fired power plants offline for a year.
- 5.2 million solar energy kits were sold in the second half of 2022, a 20% increase from the first half of the year and 18% higher than the previous peak in the second half of 2019.
- PAYGO sales grew by 33% to exceed 2 million units for the first time
- Solar home systems (SHS) recorded a 68% growth in sales, the highest of all product categories, led by numbers in Nigeria.
- TV sales grew by 28%, mainly due to increased sales of larger SHS in markets like Kenya and Nigeria
- Global refrigeration units sales grew by 68%, after low sales volumes in the previous two semi-annual rounds of reporting
- Solar water pump sales grew 63%, with growth concentrated in Kenya and Nigeria
- A drop was seen in the sale of fans when compared to the first half of 2022. However, this is consistent with seasonal sales fluctuations seen each year.
“It’s encouraging to see the growth in off-grid solar sales finally recover after COVID. This clearly demonstrates the importance that people in unelectrified communities place on having access to clean, safe and modern energy services. Now it’s time to get behind the sector if we want to keep the pace needed to reach the SDG7 goal of electricity for all by 2030,” commented Patrick K. Tonui, Head of Policy and Regional Strategy at GOGLA.
Emilie Carmichael, Head of International at Energy Saving Trust, added: “It’s fantastic to see the market starting to properly recover after the slow rates of growth observed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The growth in sales of productive-use appliances, such as solar water pumps and refrigerator units, is especially encouraging, as we know these appliances can have the greatest impact on livelihoods and quality of life. Now is the time for stakeholders to think carefully about how to design interventions so that no one is left behind. Development partners and donors must coordinate their efforts and forge strong partnerships to enable the poorest and most remote off-grid customers to access these appliances, and the benefits that come with them.”
* You can access the full Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data January-June 2022 here