The accelerated development of renewable energy in Africa will not only mitigate the impact of global warming, but also power the continent's economic development and help millions of people lift themselves out of poverty.
According to a recent report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the African continent has great potential for developing renewable energy, and some African countries have made significant progress in renewable energy projects. The analysis believes that by tailoring a package of policies, African countries can use their advantages and resources to overcome their structural dependence on traditional energy sources, thereby bringing considerable economic, social and environmental benefits.
Many African countries speed up the deployment of renewable energy
The author of the United Nations climate report and energy expert Yamina Saheb believes that the development of renewable energy is an important strategy for Africa, which can reduce the pressure on energy supply. "African countries are actively developing solar, geothermal and wind power generation, moving in the right direction to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy." Formulate and issue relevant industrial policies to vigorously attract investment.
Egypt is rich in solar energy resources, and the average sunshine duration can reach 9 to 11 hours, which is very suitable for the development of photovoltaic industry. At the beginning of this year, Egypt determined the "Comprehensive Sustainable Energy Strategy 2035", which set specific goals for the development of the photovoltaic industry. By 2035, Egypt's installed photovoltaic power generation capacity is expected to reach 43 GW, accounting for more than 70% of the total installed capacity of renewable energy.
Morocco plans to increase its renewable energy capacity to 12 gigawatts by 2030 to meet growing electricity demand and ramp up clean energy capacity. The country will increase the share of renewable energy in its total energy mix from the current 40% to 52% over the next eight years.
Kenya, an East African country, has experienced rapid economic development in recent years, but the problem of electricity shortage is prominent. Nearly half of the country's population still has no electricity available. Kenya has set wind power, geothermal and other renewable energy projects as the focus of industry development, with the goal of achieving 100% renewable energy power generation by 2030.
South Africa is one of the countries with relatively developed economies in Africa, but the problems of an aging power system and over-reliance on fossil energy have not been resolved for a long time. Currently, South Africa's Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy is launching the sixth round of the renewable energy independent power producer procurement program, planning to purchase 1 GW of photovoltaics and 1.6 GW of wind power. The procurement is part of South Africa's recently announced comprehensive resource plan, which includes 12 GW of renewable energy.
In the central and western African country of Niger, the country's first wind farm is under construction. According to Niger's energy strategic plan, by 2030, 30% of the country's electricity will come from renewable energy sources, and the installed capacity of local electricity will be increased by at least five times to 2 million kilowatts.
Energy industry transformation drives economic growth
The development of the renewable energy industry not only helps to alleviate the power shortage of African countries, but also provides new impetus for the economic and social development of Africa. The UN report pointed out that the transition to clean energy can promote economic development, and Africa's continued promotion of renewable energy will create about 12 million jobs.
The first wind farm in Niger consists of 60 wind turbines with a designed installed capacity of 250,000 kilowatts and is expected to be connected to the grid in 2025. The project will create more than 500 jobs during the construction phase, and is expected to increase Niger's power generation capacity by more than 40% after it is put into operation, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400,000 tons per year. The wind farm will export electricity to neighboring countries as part of the West African Power Joint Venture, which aims to help build the West African power network, and the construction of renewable energy power supply infrastructure is becoming one of the project's priorities. "This is a transformational project that will significantly increase our grid-connected power generation capacity and will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs over the next 10 years, thereby stimulating rapid economic growth in Niger." Niger's Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energy Minister Mahamadou stressed.
A 1,800-kilowatt solar power plant and battery system have recently been connected to the grid in Akuruleni, Gauteng, South Africa. This is the first time in the country that the microgrid has been connected to the grid for power generation, which will greatly stabilize the local power supply. With the sharp reduction in the cost of renewable energy and the rise in electricity prices caused by power shortages, some "large electricity consumers" have begun to prefer self-generation, which greatly improves the investment attractiveness of microgrid construction, and investors can sell excess electricity to large power grids . Microgrids could reshape Africa's energy future, and it would also provide a more sustainable path for utilities to operate, said Benjamin Attia, an analyst at an international energy consultancy.
Some African countries attach great importance to the development of hydrogen energy. In February this year, South Africa announced the first national hydrogen energy development roadmap in Africa, which will stimulate the domestic hydrogen production industry and drive rapid economic growth and transformation based on mineral resources and renewable energy. South Africa is building a cost-effective hydrogen production and export base - "Hydrogen Valley", involving three fields of transportation, industry and construction, and nine potential hydrogen energy projects.
In Namibia, the country's first hydrogen project is expected to produce about 300,000 tons of "green hydrogen" per year after it is put into operation, and the first phase will achieve 2 million kilowatts of renewable energy power generation capacity by 2026. The other three hydrogen projects in Africa are located in Egypt, Mauritania and Morocco.
Industrial cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win
According to data released by the African Development Bank, the current electricity access rate in Africa is only about 40%, and more than 640 million Africans live in areas without electricity. In particular, sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest electricity access rate in the world, with per capita electricity consumption of only 180 kWh/year. Currently, fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas together account for about 70% of Africa's total electricity generation. Energy research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie released a report saying that to achieve 100% electricity access by 2030, sub-Saharan Africa needs to explore power supply models other than fossil energy and vigorously develop renewable energy power generation, which is expected to require an investment of more than 350 billion US dollars .
The "Renewable Energy Market Analysis in Africa" jointly released by the International Renewable Energy Agency and the African Development Bank recently pointed out that the vision of Africa's energy transition is consistent with the global climate goals, and by 2050, it will provide 26 million more job opportunities, and the energy transition will be new. The job creation will be four times the job loss in the fossil energy sector.
The Nigerian National Photovoltaic Support Program "Solar Home System" will be officially implemented in December 2020. The Nigerian government will install 5 million solar home systems and small grids in communities with underserved or off-grid electricity throughout the country. The World Bank will provide the program. 20% of the funding. The African Development Bank also hopes to promote the popularization of electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to setting up a fund to support distributed renewable energy, it also plans to invest tens of billions of dollars in the construction of photovoltaic power generation projects.
Chinese-funded enterprises actively participate in Africa's renewable energy development cooperation. As of March 2021, dozens of Chinese-funded enterprises have cooperated with African enterprises to build photovoltaic power plants, and have invested in 21 projects with a cumulative installed capacity of more than 1.5 GW, effectively alleviating the shortage of local electricity and promoting low-carbon emission reduction.
Wesley Douglas, director of the Africa Carbon Exchange, said in an interview with this reporter that most countries in Africa are in a critical period of energy transition. An opportunity for African-related industrial cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. The achievement of the UN climate goals is inseparable from the efforts of African countries. More than 40 countries in Africa have specified their emission reduction targets. The international community should work together with African countries to promote the realization of economic and environmental sustainable development goals.
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