East African nations Kenya and Ethiopia, as well as South Africa, have emerged as the largest African markets for renewable energy technologies over the 2014-16 period.

This is according to a statement from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), which found that 1.8 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power capacity is expected to be commissioned in sub-Saharan Africa in 2014.

BNEF provides analysis, tools and data for decision makers in the energy sector.

And according to BNEF; wind, solar PV, solar thermal and geothermal power will be the utility-scale renewable power solutions in those markets.

In a statement, BNEF revealed that the rise of renewable energy in Africa reflects a combination of a growing local need for power, and awareness.

BNEF also forecasts that investment in clean energy, excluding large hydro in sub-Saharan Africa, will be $5.9 billion this year.

Further expectations are that investments will accelerate to $7.7 billion in 2016, the statement notes.

Victoria Cuming, senior analyst at BNEF said in a statement, "Sub-Saharan Africa is not new to renewable energy. South Africa has been an active market for a few years and there have been occasional large investments in geothermal in the Rift Valley countries."

She added, "What is different now is the breadth of activity, with wind, solar and geothermal exciting interest in many different countries, and the potential for further growth."

BNEF has noted that it was able to determine estimates for Africa's renewable energy build-out based on projects that have reached financial close as well as those at earlier stages in major countries.