Renewable energy generation is expanding across Africa, but getting the power to where it is needed is becoming a growing challenge. As new projects connect to the grid, transmission networks must move larger volumes of power across networks while managing existing capacity constraints.
This article features transmission capacity as a distinct engineering challenge within Africa’s expanding electricity networks while also considering why it can be just as important as the capacity of the renewable power plants connected to it.
A Demand for Power
Global electricity demand is continuing to grow as manufacturing, mining and other energy-intensive industries expand, transport becomes more electrified, rising temperatures increase demand for air conditioning and refrigeration, and digital infrastructure such as data centers requires more electric power.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global electricity demand is expected to grow by an average of 3.6% annually between 2026 and 2030, adding around 1,100 TWh of demand each year. Meeting this growth requires not only more electricity generation, but also lower-emission sources of power. Renewable energy is therefore becoming an increasingly important part of new generation capacity. At the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), participating countries committed to work towards tripling global installed renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 GW by 2030.
Reaching this target will require substantial expansion of renewable generation, but adding generation capacity is only one part of the challenge. The electricity generated must also be delivered to where it is needed, including homes, businesses, and industry.
Africa’s Energy Potential
Africa has significant renewable energy potential, with abundant solar, hydropower, wind and geothermal resources. According to the African Development Bank (AfDB) the African continent has an estimated 10–11 TW of solar potential, alongside 350 GW of hydropower, 110 GW of wind and 15 GW of geothermal potential.
The IEA also reports that Africa is home to 60% of the world’s best solar resources. This further highlights the continent’s potential for renewable energy development. To put that scale into perspective, Africa’s estimated 10–11 TW of solar potential is roughly eight times the 1.28 TW of total utility-scale electricity-generation capacity in the United States at the end of 2025, according to figures from the AfDB and the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA).
These resources give African countries substantial opportunities to expand and diversify electricity generation. However, Africa’s renewable resources are not evenly distributed across the continent, and some of the areas with the greatest potential for generation are located far from major centers of electricity demand.
The challenge, therefore, is not only how much electricity can be generated, but whether the transmission network has sufficient capacity to move that electricity from generation sites to areas of demand.
A Missing Transmission Link
According to the IEA, insufficient grid infrastructure and interconnections are limiting the integration of new renewable energy projects in Africa. This creates two key challenges for transmission infrastructure:
- Upgrading existing assets – Existing transmission lines, transformers, and substations may not have sufficient capacity to accommodate additional power flows. This can involve assessing load flows, thermal limits, voltage levels, and equipment conditions to determine where reinforcement and upgrades may be needed, while maintaining network operation. As the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) Electrical Engineering Lecturer Dr Yuanyuan Fan says, “infrastructure constraints and asset lifecycle management are among the most significant hurdles as electricity demand continues to grow.”
- Strengthening grid interconnections – Limited connections between national and regional grids can restrict how electricity is transferred between areas. Strengthening these connections can involve high-voltage interconnectors and protection systems while considering differences in voltage levels and frequency control between interconnected systems. Dr. Fan also notes that network expansion needs to be carried out efficiently while keeping pace with modern load requirements.
Addressing these challenges requires professionals with knowledge of power systems, electrical networks, protection and control, as well as the ability to apply that knowledge to evolving energy infrastructure.
Engineering the Grid for Growth
Transmission projects involve more than adding new lines. For electrical engineering professionals, this creates opportunities to consider how changes to one part of the network affect power flows, voltage stability, and performance of connected assets that will support Africa’s changing energy systems.
References
Electricity 2026 Demand
Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge
Electricity Explained
This article was published October 23rd, 2026 and the content is current as at the date of publication.
