Solar power helps emerging economies bypass fossil fuels

01The Story新闻事实

Emerging and lower-income economies are expanding electricity access through solar, wind and other renewables rather than following the fossil-fuel path taken by the US and Europe. Falling renewable costs, cheaper electric appliances and weak or absent grids are accelerating this shift, while solar imports from China are supporting rapid deployment across Africa and parts of Asia.新兴经济体和低收入国家正通过太阳能、风能等可再生能源扩大电力供应，而不是重复美国和欧洲曾经依赖化石燃料的发展路径。可再生能源成本下降、更廉价的电器以及薄弱或缺失的电网，正在加速这一转变；来自中国的太阳能设备进口也推动了非洲和亚洲部分地区的快速部署。

In 2023, renewables generated only around a quarter of global electricity, while almost all newly added capacity was based on solar or wind.2023年，可再生能源仅占全球发电量约四分之一，但当年新增电力容量几乎全部来自太阳能或风能。
In 2023, solar supplied at least 6% of electricity in India and 10% in Vietnam, compared with 5% globally.2023年，太阳能发电量至少占印度电力供应的6%、越南的10%，全球平均水平为5%。
An estimate based on Chinese import data suggested that around 100,000 solar panels were installed across Africa each day in 2026, 45% more than the previous year.一项基于中国进口数据的估算显示，2026年非洲每天安装的太阳能板约为10万块，比前一年增加45%。
In parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, diesel generators remain a fallback because rural areas are often off-grid or have unreliable electricity access.在撒哈拉以南非洲部分地区，柴油发电机仍是备用方案，因为许多农村地区没有接入电网，或电力供应不可靠。
The source says solar combined with batteries can provide cheap electricity from the sun about 90% of the time.文章称，太阳能结合电池储能后，约90%的时间可以依靠阳光提供廉价电力。

Falling solar costs and limited fossil-fuel infrastructure are allowing many emerging economies to expand electricity access without repeating the West’s fossil-fuel-intensive development path.太阳能成本下降以及化石燃料基础设施有限，使许多新兴经济体能够扩大电力供应，而不必重复西方高度依赖化石燃料的发展路径。

023 Dimensions维度分析

Historical context历史脉络

A different development sequence不同的发展路径

Unlike the US and Europe during industrialization, many emerging economies are adding electricity capacity through renewables while they are still expanding basic infrastructure. This reduces the need to replace large fossil-fuel systems later.与工业化时期的美国和欧洲不同，许多新兴经济体在扩大基础设施的同时，直接通过可再生能源增加电力容量，从而减少未来替换大型化石燃料系统的需要。

The US and Europe industrialized using coal, oil and gas, while many emerging economies are now investing in renewable electricity.美国和欧洲曾依靠煤炭、石油和天然气实现工业化，而许多新兴经济体如今正投资于可再生电力。
Countries with less fossil-fuel infrastructure are described as better placed for a faster renewable rollout.文章指出，化石燃料基础设施较少的国家更有条件快速推广可再生能源。

Future signal前瞻信号

Solar deployment is accelerating太阳能部署正在加速

Africa’s solar expansion illustrates how imported equipment and strong solar resources can support rapid growth. The estimate based on Chinese imports points to a sharp increase in installations, although it is not an official installation count.非洲太阳能扩张表明，进口设备与充足的日照资源能够支持快速增长。基于中国进口数据的估算显示安装量大幅上升，但这并非官方安装统计。

Estimated panels installed per day in Africa非洲每日估计安装太阳能板数量

20262026年100,000 panels

20262026年45 %

The estimate was produced by analyzing Chinese import data.这项估算来自对中国进口数据的分析。
Namibia, South Africa, Kenya and Senegal have expanded their solar capacity massively in recent years.纳米比亚、南非、肯尼亚和塞内加尔近年大幅扩大了太阳能装机容量。

Stakeholder impact利益相关方

Access, affordability and energy independence能源可及性、负担能力与独立性

For countries with unreliable grids or expensive imported fuel, solar can address both energy access and energy independence. Affordable electricity may also influence where industrial production is located, although the source presents this as a prospective effect.对于电网不稳定或进口燃料成本高昂的国家，太阳能可以同时改善能源可及性并增强能源独立性。廉价电力还可能影响工业生产布局，但文章将其描述为未来可能出现的影响。

Share of time cheap electricity may come from solar plus batteries太阳能加电池可能提供廉价电力的时间占比

90 %90%

Not specified未说明

Some businesses in Africa can reportedly recover their solar investment in two years.据报道，非洲一些企业可以在两年内收回太阳能投资。
In India, Indonesia and Vietnam, electric scooters and motorbikes already cost the same as petrol models and cost less to fuel.在印度、印度尼西亚和越南，电动踏板车和电动摩托车的购买成本已与汽油车型相当，但燃料成本更低。

03Timeline时间线

2023 Renewables generated around a quarter of global electricity; solar supplied at least 6% in India and 10% in Vietnam.可再生能源约占全球发电量四分之一；太阳能至少占印度发电量的6%、越南的10%。
2026 An estimate suggested that around 100,000 solar panels were installed across Africa each day, up 45% from the previous year.一项估算显示，非洲每天安装约10万块太阳能板，比前一年增加45%。
2026-10-07 DW published its report on solar power and emerging economies.DW发表关于太阳能与新兴经济体的报道。

Key takeaway核心结论

Solar is becoming a practical route to faster electrification in emerging economies because it is cheaper, quicker to deploy and less dependent on established fossil-fuel infrastructure.太阳能正成为新兴经济体加速电气化的现实路径，因为它成本更低、部署更快，也较少依赖既有的化石燃料基础设施。

04What to Watch后续关注

Whether solar and battery deployment continues to expand across Sub-Saharan Africa and other underserved regions.撒哈拉以南非洲及其他电力供应不足地区的太阳能和电池储能部署能否继续扩大。
Whether unreliable or absent grids lead to more distributed solar systems rather than conventional centralized generation.电网缺失或不稳定是否会推动分布式太阳能系统进一步取代传统集中式发电。
Whether cheap renewable electricity attracts more industrial production to emerging markets.廉价可再生电力是否会吸引更多工业生产转移至新兴市场。
How dependence on imported solar equipment affects the pace and resilience of deployment.对进口太阳能设备的依赖将如何影响部署速度及其供应韧性。

05Uncertainties不确定因素

The African installation figure is an estimate based on Chinese import data, not an official count of installed panels.非洲太阳能板安装数量是基于中国进口数据的估算，并非官方安装统计。
The source does not quantify the total renewable investment, grid capacity or battery deployment in the countries discussed.文章没有量化所述国家的可再生能源总投资、电网容量或电池储能部署规模。
The potential shift of industrial production toward emerging markets is presented as a forecast rather than a documented outcome.工业生产向新兴市场转移被文章作为一种预测提出，而非已经得到证实的结果。

06Sources信息来源

Solar power is helping the Global South skip fossil fuelsSolar power is helping the Global South skip fossil fuels DW · 2026-10-07

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