Capacity of rooftop solar installed in South Africa has passed 8 GW mark
The capacity of rooftop solar in South Africa has passed 8.3 GW, according to Eskom's National Transmission Company. The steepest growth came during peak loadshedding in 2022 and 2023, but even after loadshedding effectively ended in early 2024, installations kept climbing, driven by Eskom tariff hikes that have made solar cheaper than grid electricity.
The bulk of this capacity is not on household rooftops. It sits on shopping malls, warehouses, farms and other commercial properties. StatsSA's General Household Survey puts the number of households with solar panels at 675 000 in 2025, an 86% increase over three years, with over two-thirds concentrated in Gauteng and the Western Cape.
The private sector is driving the boom. Rooftop solar alone (8.3 GW installed) already exceeds the total operational solar capacity contracted and operational under the government's flagship energy programmes, REIPPPP and RMIPPPP, combined (2.8 GW).
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
ALBIS FLANGES — founded in 1965 — is a petro-chemical approved manufacturer of flanges and fittings in most grades of steel, listed with Sasol,...
VISIT SHOWROOMThe Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa was established to develop sustainable, internationally competitive carbon steel tube and pipe...
VISIT SHOWROOMPress Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation

















