Off-Grid Solar: Untapping Africa's Next Multi-Million Wave of Electricity Consumers

Grid congestion and renewable growth are reshaping system operation. This session showcases real-world approaches to maintaining stability, from managing network constraints to improving system performance

Discover how green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are transforming decentralized energy systems worldwide. This session will be presenting hands-on experience from pioneering projects in Thailand, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa. Find out how solar-powered hydrogen microgrids can replace diesel generators, strengthen energy resilience and enable short- to long-term storage, while supporting environmental and climate goals. Project partners including German SMEs and research institutes, share insights on lessons learned, local benefits and the replication potential of these systems. Selected projects were implemented with the support from the Export Initiative Environmental Protection, a funding programme of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. 

For many years, the photovoltaic (PV) market was dominated by grid feed-in systems. Increasingly affordable solar modules and storage systems have been changing this picture. The resulting competitive situation is leading to new results when evaluating whether a grid connection makes sense for a particular use or not. However, off-grid applications for thermal energy are also gaining importance, such as solar-electric heating and cooking. Innovative system design as well as innovative storage and applications are shifting into focus.

In this urgent and forward-looking session of the Intersolar Europe Conference, we bring together voices from the frontlines of decentralized energy: representatives from Syria, Ukraine and Ethiopia - spanning immediate crisis response and longer-term energy market development - alongside practitioners who build and operate these systems at scale. What unites all perspectives is a shared insight: decentralized renewable energy proves its reliability precisely where conventional grids are absent, destroyed or isolated - from war-torn regions to island communities cut off from mainland supply.The initial focus is on the immediate, life-saving needs: hospitals, schools and water supply systems. We then move to the medium-term goal - interconnecting mini-grids, rebuilding resilient infrastructure, creating new jobs and livelihoods. A central question runs through both phases: how do we train local workforces through vocational training, apprenticeships and certification programs, so that rebuilding is not only about hardware, but about people and enduring capacity?Join us to examine how off-grid solar transitions from emergency stop-gap to the sustainable backbone of recovery and growth.

Despite strong research capabilities and the presence of leading production equipment suppliers, Europe has been struggling to rebuild competitive wafer-to-module manufacturing, while the USA and India have enabled a local renaissance in solar manufacturing. In Europe, even long-established inverter manufacturers have been losing considerable ground. With the EU's Net Zero Industry Act yet to deliver momentum, attention is turning to the upcoming Industry Accelerator Act. This session examines how policy, investment and value-chain strategies can strengthen domestic manufacturing and increase internal value creation.Key topics:Overview of EU and national policy frameworks to support local manufacturingStatus of Europe's solar manufacturing value chainInvestment gaps and competitiveness challenges Strategies for triggering a sustainable solar manufacturing revival