The developing nations of Africa are popular locations for the application of renewable energy technology. Currently, many nations already have small-scale solar, wind, and geothermal devices in operation providing energy to urban and rural populations. These types of energy production are especially useful in remote locations because of the excessive cost of transporting electricity from large-scale power plants. The applications of renewable energy technology has the potential to alleviate many of the problems that face Africans every day, especially if done in a sustainable manner that prioritizes human rights.
Access to energy is essential for the reduction of poverty and promotion of economic growth. Communication technologies, education, industrialization, agricultural improvement and expansion of municipal water systems all require abundant, reliable, and cost-effective energy access.The Human Development Report 2001, United Nations Development Programme
Avoiding fossil fuels
By investing in the long-term energy solutions that alternative energy sources afford, most African nations would benefit significantly in the longer term by avoiding the pending economic problems developed countries are currently facing.
Although in many ways fossil fuels provide a simple, easy to use energy source that powered the industrialization of most modern nations, the issues associated with the widespread use of fossil fuels are now numerous, consisting of some of the world's most difficult and large-scale global political, economic, health and environmental problems. The looming energy crisis results from consuming these fossil fuels at a rate which is unsustainable, with the global demand for fossil fuels expected to increase every year for the next several decades, compounding existing problems.Nuclear Energy and the Fossil Fuels , M.K. Hubbert.
While a great number of projects are currently underway to expand and connect the existing grid networks,Annual Report , Page 2, Eskom (2006) too many problems exist to make this a realistic option for the vast majority of people in Africa, especially those who live in rural locations. Distributed generation using renewable energy systems is the only practical solution to meet rural electrification needs.Letter to International Finance Corporation, Woicke P. (2000)Expanding Electricity Access to Remote Areas: Off Grid Rural Electrification in Developing Countries, Reich et al. (2000) There is a move towards energy decentralization in African nations, with many looking towards variants of energy decentralization frameworks, such as District Energy Officers, for example as described in a recommendations paper for District Energy Officers for the country of Malawi.Malawi District Energy Officer Blueprint: Recommendations Paper, Buckland et al. (2017)
Renewable energy resources
Hydroelectric, wind and solar power all derive their energy from the Sun. The Sun emits more energy in one second (3.827 × 1026 J) than is available in all of the fossil fuels present on earth (3.9 × 1022 J),Wikipedia article on orders of magnitude (energy) and therefore has the potential to provide all of our current and future global energy requirements. Since solar energy production has no direct emissions and does not require refueling, African nations can protect their people, their environment, and their future economic development by using renewable energy sourcesAlternative energy sources for electricity generation: Their 'energy effectiveness' and their viability for undeveloped and developing countries , Jobe Z. (2006) To this end they have a number of possible options. There has been a collaborative effort across Africa to support the development of renewable energy through the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI).
Solar resources
Africa receives the most sunlight in comparison to all the other continents on Earth, especially as there are many perpetually sunny areas like the huge Sahara Desert.Louis Boisgibault, Fahad Al Kabbani (2020): Energy Transition in Metropolises, Rural Areas and Deserts. Wiley - ISTE. (Energy series) .
It has much greater solar resources than any other continent. Desert regions stand out as having the most sunlight, while rainforests are considerably cloudier but still get a good global solar irradiation because of the proximity to the equator.
The distribution of solar resources across Africa is fairly uniform, with more than 85% of the continent's landscape receiving at least 2,000 kWh/(m2 year). A recent study indicates that a solar generating facility covering just 0.3% of the area comprising North Africa could supply all of the energy required by the European Union.Report on Solar Power Potential , German Aerospace Center This is the same land area as the state of Maine.
The Ouarzazate solar power plant was completed in 2016 in Morocco.
Wave and wind resources
Africa has a large coastline, where wind power and wave power resources are abundant and underutilized in the north and south. Geothermal power has the potential to provide considerable amounts of energy in many eastern African nations.
Wind is far less uniformly distributed than solar resources, with optimal locations positioned near special topographical funneling features close to coastal locations, mountain ranges, and other natural channels in the north and south. The availability of wind on the western coast of Africa is substantial, exceeding 3,750 kW·h, and will accommodate the future prospect for energy demandsBackground Information, Sahara Wind.Cassedy, Edward S. Prospects for Sustainable Energy: A Critical Assessment. New York Cambridge UP, 2000. Central Africa has lower than average wind resources to work with.African Wind Energy Association Summary
Geothermal resources
Geothermal power is mostly concentrated in eastern Africa, but there are many fragmented spots of high-intensity geothermal potential spread across the continent.Malin P.E (2001) Establishment of Geothermal Resource Center to Accelerate the Development of Eastern Africa There is enormous potential for geothermal energy in the East African Rift which is roughly 5,900 kilometers in length and spans several countries in East Africa including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia.
Biomass
Unsustainable use of biomass fuels endangers biodiversity and risks further damage or destruction to the landscape. 86% of Africa's biomass energy is used in the sub-Saharan region, excluding South Africa.Energy in Africa, Chapter 7, United States Energy Information Administration Even where other forms of energy are available, it is not harnessed and utilized efficiently, underscoring the need to promote energy efficiency where energy access is available.Building a Sustainable Energy Base (NEPAD Platform)
Biomass obtained in Africa is mainly used for energy through burning, however, there is an urgent need to address the current levels of respiratory illness from burning biomass in homes. Taking into consideration the cost differential between biomass and fossil fuels, it is far more cost-effective to improve the technology used to burn the biomass than to use fossil fuels.Benefits of clean fuel in Africa would be enormous, Kevin Myron, Harvard Gazette Archives Technologies such as gasification and anaerobic digestion systems are some of the popular systems used to convert biomass fuels to cleaner energy.
Horizontal integration potential Solar and wind power are extremely scalable, as there are systems available from less than 1 watt to several megawatts. This makes it possible to initialize the electrification of a home or village with minimal initial capital. It also allows for dynamic and incremental scaling as load demands increases. The component configuration of a wind or solar installation also provides a level of functional redundancy, improving the reliability of the system. If a single panel in a multi-panel solar array is damaged, the rest of the system continues functioning unimpeded. In a similar way, the failure of a single wind tower in a multi-tower configuration does not cause a system-level failure.
Because solar and wind projects produce power where it is used, they provide a safe, reliable and cost-effective solution. Because transmission equipment is avoided, these systems are more secure and less vulnerable to attack.Prospects for Distributed Electricity Generation , Congressional Budget Office (2003) This can be an important feature in regions prone to conflict. Wind and solar power systems are simple to set up, easy to operate, easy to repair, and durable. Wind resources and solar resources are abundant enough to provide all of the electrical energy requirements of rural populations, and this can be done in remote and otherwise fragmented low-density areas that are impractical to address using conventional grid-based systems.An Energy Model for a Low Income Rural African Village , Howells M.I, et al. (2003)
Finance Photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, deep cycle batteries, meters, sockets, cables, and connectors are all expensive. Even when the relative difference in buying power, materials cost, opportunity cost, labor cost and overhead is factored in, renewable energy will remain expensive for people who are living on less than US$1 per day. Many rural electrification projects in the past use government subsidies to finance the implementation of rural development programs. It is difficult for rural electrification projects to be accomplished by for-profit companies; in economically impoverished areas these programs must be run at a loss for reasons of practicality.Africa Regional Findings (2001) Rural Electrification: Lessons Learned, World Bank There are several theorized ways in which specific African nations can rally the resources for such projects.
Potential funding sources European countries that consume oil refined from African countries have the opportunity to subsidize the costs of individual level, village level, or community level alternative energy systems through emissions trading credits. It has been proposed that for every unit of African origin carbon consumed by the European market, a predetermined amount of green credits or carbon credits would be yielded.Britain Urges Global Carbon Trading To Spur Eco-Healthy Growth, Aziakou G. (2006) The European partners could then either supply parts, components, or systems directly, an equivalent amount of investment capital, or lend credits to finance the distribution of renewable energy services, knowledge or equipment.Sustainable Energy Finance Activity Overview, UNEP (2006)
International relief targeted at poverty reduction could also be redirected towards subsidizing renewable energy projects. Because of the integral role that electrification plays in supporting economic and social development, funding of rural electrification can be seen as the core method for addressing poverty. Radios, televisions, telephones, computer networks, and computers all rely on access to electricity. Because information services allow for the proliferation of education resources, funding the electric backbone to such systems has a derivative effect on their development. In this way, access to communications and education plays a major role in reducing poverty. Additionally, international efforts that supply equipment and services rather than money are more resistant to resource misappropriation issues that pose problems in less stable governments.Good intentions: the mismanagement of foreign aid, Heckt J.L (1996)