Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Kenya
Kenya: Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity was 0.4849 gigawatts in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Kenya, 2011–2025
Source: IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in gigawatts.
Analysis
In 2025, solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Kenya stood at 0.4849 gigawatts. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18,658.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Kenya peaked at 0.4849 gigawatts in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0005 gigawatts, in 2011.
That places Kenya 84th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Kenya, year by year
| Year | gigawatts | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 0.0005 gigawatts | — |
| 2012 | 0.0005 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0007 gigawatts | +45.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0023 gigawatts | +214.2% |
| 2015 | 0.0026 gigawatts | +10.1% |
| 2016 | 0.0059 gigawatts | +126.5% |
| 2017 | 0.0098 gigawatts | +66.9% |
| 2018 | 0.0616 gigawatts | +530.6% |
| 2019 | 0.0665 gigawatts | +8.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0677 gigawatts | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.1155 gigawatts | +70.6% |
| 2022 | 0.205 gigawatts | +77.6% |
| 2023 | 0.4104 gigawatts | +100.2% |
| 2024 | 0.4849 gigawatts | +18.2% |
| 2025 | 0.4849 gigawatts | +0.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.4849 gigawatts is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1229 gigawatts, 3.9× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.4849 gigawatts is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0678 gigawatts, 7.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +530.6% | 0.0098 gigawatts | 0.0616 gigawatts |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0167 gigawatts | 0.0005 gigawatts | 0.0665 gigawatts | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.2947 gigawatts | 0.0677 gigawatts | 0.4849 gigawatts | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More energy & mining data for Kenya
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 6.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 23.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Kenya?
- Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Kenya was 0.4849 gigawatts in 2025, according to IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4849 gigawatts in 2024.
- What is the lowest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0005 gigawatts in 2011.
- How does Kenya rank for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity?
- Kenya ranks 84th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18,658.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Solar photovoltaic (on-grid) electricity installed capacity, measured in gigawatts.