From 1972 and the Meadows report to 1997 and the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by most of the countries in the world, the global energy policy framework has moved on to considering the concept of sustainable development. Regarding electrification, modern renewable power systems such as solar PV have sprung up in the wake of this major mutation and have typically undergone a significant growth since the beginning of this century. In this paper, we first investigate the historical interactions between energy and society in both global and Sub-Saharan contexts and how renewable power has ended up being considered accordingly. From the need for sustainable development to grid-connected architecture on the one hand; from the lack of human development to rural off-grid electrification on the other. Then, using the case of solar PV, we propose a reading of the issues and challenges renewable power systems are currently facing in Sub-Saharan Africa, by linking those aspects to the previously stated global policy framework, and in particular the historical segmentation of the renewable energy worldwide market between grid-connected and off-grid sectors.