Measuring Solar Irradiation in Africa: A case for change

Inaccurate solar production estimates impact all players across the power value chain.

• 3-20% overestimation bias identified for solar irradiance data across Africa
• 5-20% reduction in lifetime solar energy savings for businesses
• 1-2% decrease in IRR for project developers from overestimated asset productivity

Declining solar equipment costs continue to drive African businesses toward solar energy solutions. Solar irradiation is the measurement of how much sunlight shines in each location, and because irradiation determines how much electricity a solar array will produce, it is a key design factor for solar buyers, installers, and investors.

In our latest report, we discuss why the current methods the solar industry uses for estimating solar production across the continent are unreliable and what can be done to address this.