As well as sunshine in abundance, Africa has further sources of renewable energy that it should be able to harness to generate electricity.
There are already hydro and wind turbine projects being developed around the continent.
A source of renewable energy that is becoming increasingly attractive is hydro-power - electricity that can be generated by the flow of water.
The continent is pinning a lot of hope on the power that can be generated by the Congo river - particularly at Inga, west of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Our correspondent Arnaud Zajtman took a trip to Inga to visit the site.
The World Bank is sponsoring a business conference in Accra, Ghana called "Lighting Africa". The purpose is to address the problem of rural areas that go totally without power because they are off their national grid.
During the event, the World Bank will be awarding funds to a number of projects across Africa aimed at increasing access to light for people in rural areas.
In the running for an award is a Ugandan plan to set up small scale hydroelectricity plants for rural communities.
Sarah Grainger visited the proposed site of one of the plants in the eastern town of Mbale.
Wind could also become an important source of power for sub-Saharan Africa and help to meet the power deficit in many countries, according to backers of the industry on the continent.
Consistently strong winds mean that many parts of Africa are highly suited to generating electricity using wind turbines.
It's a previously untapped power source, but that is set to change with the opening of the first commercial wind farm in Tanzania.
Daniel Dickinson travelled to the Rift Valley in Singida region as a guest of the company that is setting up the farm.
Africa Energy Week: Monday - Fossil fuels, Tuesday - Solar energy, Wednesday - Hydro & wind power, Thursday - Bio-fuels, Friday - Nuclear power
