Namibia
NAMNamibia is second in the world for solar.
Solar supplies 35% of its electricity.
What this grid depends on
Three measures that say more about a country than how much power it makes. Open “what this means” on any of them if the term is new.
Among the cleanest electricity anywhere.
What this means
How much planet-warming gas is released to make one unit of electricity. Two countries can generate exactly the same amount and one of them be ten times dirtier doing it. Lower is better.
Namibia depends heavily on its neighbours for power.
What this means
The share of the electricity used here that was generated abroad and carried in over high-voltage lines. The higher it climbs, the more this country relies on a neighbour to keep its lights on.
Also true of Namibia
Namibia's electricity is cleaner than the world average.
49 grams of CO2e a kilowatt-hour against a world figure of 458 — 89% below.
Namibia has about as many people as Qatar, and 33 times less electricity to share between them.
3 million people against 3.1 million, but 541 kWh per person a year against 18,030.
Namibia generates no oil electricity at all, in a region built on it.
47% of grids in Africa draw more than a tenth of their power from oil.
Namibia’s neighbours
BotswanaBotswana is first in the world for coal.
AngolaAngola has about as many people as Canada, and 40 times less electricity to share between them.
ZambiaZambia's grid has been getting more carbon-heavy, not less.
South AfricaSouth Africa is third in the world for coal.
ZimbabweHydro overtook coal on Zimbabwe's grid in 2017.
Figures are for 2024, the most recent year reported for Namibia. Generation shares are a percentage of electricity generated, not of energy used. How this is calculated.