This technical brief examines the critical intersection of Africa’s growing solar PV investments and climate resilience. With nearly 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lacking electricity access and solar PV investments reaching $36.6 billion in 2023, the continent faces both enormous opportunity and significant climate-related risks to energy infrastructure.
 
The brief identifies key climate hazards threatening solar PV projects across Africa—including extreme heat, flooding, dust storms, and wildfires. It presents evidence-based adaptation solutions across four categories: site selection, engineering design upgrades, operations and maintenance resilience, and agrivoltaics approaches.
 
Drawing on GCA case studies from Mauritania, Mozambique, and Mali, the document demonstrates that while climate resilience measures may increase initial project costs by 15-30%, they deliver strong benefit-cost ratios by protecting revenues, extending asset life, and improving project bankability. The brief concludes with actionable recommendations for guarantee agencies, development finance institutions, commercial banks, and private investors to integrate climate adaptation into solar project design and financing decisions.