Kenya vs. South Africa Energy Sources

Kenya generates nearly 90% of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources. South Africa is still dependent on coal, using it to generate 82% of its electricity. Sir David King, the head of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group and the former chief scientific advisor to the UK government, urged South Africa to rapidly switch to renewable energy and lead the global south in the transition away from fossil fuels at a public lecture on 6 March 2025 at Wits University. King used Kenya as an example of what’s possible in Africa. The bulk of Kenya’s electricity is geothermal (47%), tapping the heat under the rift valley, 21% is hydro-electricity and another 20% is wind and solar energy, according to Ember’s latest data, which is for 2023.In comparison, South Africa generated 12% of its electricity from wind and solar in 2023. Nuclear contributed 4% and hydro less than 1%.Twenty years ago, in 2013, less than 1% was generated by wind and solar.