The Superpower Driving the Future of Low-Carbon Electricity

By Dom Wills, Executive Director at SOLA Group

If you’ve ever worked on a large infrastructure project, you’ll know that these ventures are often plagued by delays, budget overruns, and underwhelming results. In fact, Professor Bent Flyvbjerg of Oxford University has spent decades studying these megaprojects, more than 16,000 of them. His conclusion? A staggering 91% of megaprojects fail to deliver on time, within budget, or on promise. Only 0.5% succeed across all three.

Yet there’s one surprising exception to this trend: solar PV.

Why Solar PV Breaks the Rule

Solar PV projects consistently outperform others. They’re delivered quicker, at lower costs, and with more predictable results. But why?

The answer lies in one powerful concept: modularity. Modularity refers to a design system made up of smaller, interchangeable parts. Unlike massive one-off builds like nuclear plants or dams, modular projects can be repeated, learned from, improved, and scaled. Think of it as the difference between crafting a custom luxury yacht and assembling reliable motorbikes on a production line. Solar PV, by its very nature, is modular, and that makes all the difference.

Across the entire solar value chain, modularity is the quiet engine behind solar’s rapid growth. Over the past decade, solar panel manufacturing has skyrocketed. In 2014, the world installed 40 gigawatts of solar capacity. By 2024, this number had grown thirteenfold to 550 gigawatts. Simultaneously, panel prices have plummeted, falling by 90% as manufacturing scaled up.

Logistics have also improved dramatically. Panels are designed to fit neatly into standard shipping containers, can be delivered using ordinary trucks, and handled on-site with standard equipment. And once they arrive at their destination, installation is efficient and straightforward. In South Africa, it’s become routine for more than 5,000 panels to be installed in a single day, often using teams of trained but unskilled workers.

A Giant Leap for the Grid

The impact of this modular boom has been enormous. In 2024 alone, solar PV added more new electricity generation capacity globally than any other source, five times more than nuclear and over twice as much as wind, hydro, or gas.

For the first time, the expansion of renewables was large enough to keep up with the growth in global electricity demand. Emissions from the electricity sector stabilised, marking a historic turning point. However, this balance remains delicate.

The New Age of Electricity Demand

We’ve entered a new era — one where electricity demand is growing faster than ever before. It’s not just about homes and businesses anymore. Entire sectors are shifting toward electrification: transport is being electrified, heating is moving to heat pumps, and air conditioning demand is soaring in response to rising global temperatures.

Meanwhile, the digital revolution is fuelling the rise of data centres and AI computing. These power-hungry facilities, combined with the rollout of 5G networks, are dramatically increasing energy consumption. In 2024, while renewables added an impressive 840 terawatt-hours (TWh) of new supply, global electricity demand rose by 1,180 TWh. Clean energy simply couldn’t close the gap.

Energy Storage: The Next Breakthrough

To truly decarbonise electricity, solar’s success needs a partner, and that partner is storage. Once again, modularity is paving the way.

Lithium-ion batteries, composed of small, repeatable cells, are transforming how we store and use energy. These same cells can power everything from smartphones to electric buses to large-scale grid applications. And as innovation accelerates, the technology is improving rapidly. Emerging alternatives, like sodium-based or solid-state batteries, are pushing performance even further.

The cost of storing electricity has dropped from $715 to under $100 per kilowatt-hour in just a decade, and some battery lifespans now exceed 1.5 million kilometres of usage. In short, energy storage is following solar’s playbook and the results are promising.

South Africa’s Energy Crossroads

Back home, South Africa is facing its own electricity evolution. Tariffs (governed by the National Energy Regulator (NERSA)) have climbed at hyperinflationary rates over the last 20 years, making grid power increasingly expensive for consumers.

But now, there’s a compelling alternative. With 8-hour battery storage, solar PV is already capable of delivering time-of-use electricity cheaper than Eskom’s bulk supply tariffs. That’s not a theoretical future, that’s today’s reality.

Looking Ahead: A 24-Hour Solar Future

Solar’s story is far from over. With the right investment in storage and continued modular innovation, we’re edging closer to a world powered by affordable, 24-hour renewable electricity. The tools are here. The technology is proven. The costs are competitive. Now it’s about scale, and speed.

We believe that a zero-carbon future isn’t just possible – it’s inevitable.

Ready to Go Solar?

If your business is ready to move toward reliable, affordable, and low-carbon electricity, now’s the time to take the next step. Visit our Buy Energy page to explore how you can purchase solar electricity directly from SOLA’s PV plants. Whether you’re looking for short-term flexibility or long-term savings, our team is here to help you make the switch.