There is a prime opportunity in Africa to start looking at off-grid energy supply, such as solar and wind power, for small-scale generation, but it requires developing technologies suited to regional needs.
This was the message from Brian Statham, chairman of the South African National Energy Association, speaking at a media conference in Sandton yesterday, ahead of the Energy Indaba, which begins today.
Statham said one reason energy access in Africa is so low is because the population is often sparsely distributed; meaning the cost of taking a line from a central hub to a village is quite high.
“Renewable technologies like solar and wind lend themselves to off-grid supply. There's a wonderful opportunity in Africa to start looking at renewable energy in micro power generation at village level.”
While it's an opportunity for the taking, said Statham, the challenge is developing technologies suitable for these applications.
He explained that a remote village is often remote not only from power supply, but also from the maintenance and resources required to keep it running. “If you design equipment to fit that rural environment there's an opportunity to develop solutions for Africa, but they will be green solutions you could extend to other developing countries.
“There's the potential for something revolutionary but simple, if we apply our minds to it.”
In addition, SA could be the incubator for technologies, allowing them to evolve and mature before spreading to the rest of Africa.
Professor AS Sambo, the World Energy Council (WEC) vice-chairman for Africa and director-general of Nigeria's Energy Commission, noted that production systems in SA are much more advanced than in most African countries.
“SA could serve as a point from which technologies develop, and could benefit from collaborative efforts. But countries need to set up the legislation to bring new technology in.”
Dr Latsoucabe Fall, the WEC regional manager for Africa, pointed out that Africa had ambitious targets for renewable energy and mentioned countries like Morocco and Egypt, which have already made significant investments in solar and wind projects.
However, the roll-out of renewable technologies is dependent on many factors, he added. These include policy frameworks and incentives for new technologies. Tax credits could also stimulate the development of renewable energy and help the market grow.
“Countries on their own are not much of a market, but if we integrate manufacturing bases we could create a hub for African countries. Africa could become an exporter of technology,” Fall said.
Dr Christoph Frei, secretary-general of the WEC, which is holding its regional Africa meeting in conjunction with the Indaba, pointed out there's been very little progress in terms of energy poverty. He said much still needs to be done before the Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal access to modern energy by 2030 is realised.
Frei described the WEC as “a social network of world energy”, with member committees in more than 90 countries. He said the council aims to use people on the ground in various regions to understand how to make progress in these areas.
The International Energy Agency estimates 1.4 billion people, the majority in Africa's rural areas, will still lack access to electricity in 2030 unless new approaches and policies are adopted.
“In SA, one out of four people don't have access to electricity and 85% of energy poverty exists in rural areas. It costs roughly $3 million to $30 million to electrify a village and currently there's no adequate financing mechanism,” said Frei.
Statham noted that during the course of the Indaba, the WEC and its various member countries would meet to share expertise and experience in various approaches to energy policies. The WEC is also in the progress of beginning a new energy scenario study, the last of which was released in 2007. It held its first workshop on 28 February to discuss issues needing attention in the scenario study.
Share