Official government records are failing to capture the true magnitude of the solar energy transition in emerging economies because small-scale, decentralized installations often go uncounted. According to the authors of the newly released report, solar panel imports in many of these nations are at least three times higher than what is reflected in official national capacity data. The report notes that “small solar panels on balconies and rooftops go largely unregistered in national figures,” and adds that “in eight out of ten CVF countries, cumulative solar imports since 2017 are at least three times the installed capacity recorded in the most recent official statistics.” This data gap exists because traditional monitoring systems are designed to track large, centralized power stations rather than individual units purchased by households and businesses. When a family installs a small panel on their balcony or a shop puts one on its roof, the activity frequently bypasses official registration, meaning that millions of people are accessing clean energy through a “shadow” boom that isn’t showing up on official balance sheets. The report “The electric fast-track for emerging markets” was published globally by energy think tank Ember, in partnership with the Climate Vulnerable Forum, on 2 April 2026. Authored by a team including Daan Walter and Sam Butler-Sloss, the analysis details how developing nations can bypass fossil fuel reliance through scalable and affordable electric technologies.
