Original Story Published by: Molly Lempriere for Power Technology
Photo Source: Tommyking751
(Above) The cost of utility-scale solar has dropped by over 90% since 2009, allowing a corresponding increase in the adoption of solar, which led to a global capacity of 390GW in 2017.
A recent report from Hogan Lovells highlights the potential of renewables to transform the energy system in Africa. What are the most promising new energy markets, why are they exciting and what challenges remain? Molly Lempriere reports.
Africa is a huge continent, consisting of 54 countries that are home to 17% of the world’s population. However, it has long struggled with providing a reliable and wide-reaching electricity network. While this varies widely from country to country, it is true of most rural areas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent estimates suggest that there are 640 million people living without access to electricity on the continent.
But renewable energy is starting to change this, with both small and utility-scale projects popping up across the continent. These hold the potential to bring clean, cheap and reliable power to those who have never had access before.
“In the Western world we’re focused on decarbonization and the benefits of renewables to the environment, but in Africa the first thing is to get any form of power,” says Hogan Lovells partner Alex Harrison. “Then if the power comes at cheapest cost and happens to be renewable then it’s hugely beneficial as well.”
There have been many optimistic predictions for the continuation of the growth seen in the last few years. In 2017, the International Energy Agency predicted that renewables in sub-Saharan Africa alone would increase capacity from 35GW to over 60GW by 2022.
To read the full article, visit Power Technology.
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