Emerging economies are increasingly bypassing the fossil-fuel-heavy development path followed by wealthier countries and are instead investing in renewable-powered electricity. Import data analyzed by the African Tech Futures Lab and Ember suggest that about 100,000 solar panels have been installed across Africa daily in 2026, a 45% increase from the previous year. Analysts note that this trend is necessitated by the fact that solar and wind projects can be built more quickly and with lower upfront costs than large coal and gas plants. Additionally, solar electricity is increasingly cheaper than fossil-fuel generation in many markets. The opportunity is particularly important in Sub-Saharan Africa, where limited grid infrastructure could allow countries to expand renewable systems without replacing extensive fossil-fuel networks.