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How Solar And Renewable Energy In Africa Makes A Better Future

Posted on by dishanth
How Solar And Renewable Energy In Africa Makes A Better Future

When we hear Africa, the first thing that comes in our mind that it is the world’s second largest continent and second most-populated continent with 1.2 billion people. But it is strange that around 600 million people in Africa are living without having regular access to electricity and most of the population lives in rural areas which are hard to reach.

For these people, it would take many more years to gain access to electricity, and this entire process will require the right amount of investment. Though, business entrepreneurs and households in rural Kenya has discovered a promising solution to this problem in installation of mini-grids to meet their day-to-day demands,

Local businesses can be connected to the microgrids provided by the community, and the payments can be taken through online mobile money system which is already being used in many countries worldwide.

In the past few decades, with the significant advancement in technology and reduced production costs, solar technology has become quite inexpensive and affordable.  The growing availability of solar appliances like solar fans, LED lights, solar refrigerators, TV and the other types of equipment has increased the solar energy expansion in rural areas.

 

Why is Africa moving towards Solar and renewable energy?

A published study Brighter Africa by McKinsey has stated that sub-Saharan Africa will utilize about 1600 terawatt of electricity by the year 2040, and it is four times of utilized electricity of the year 2010 and Similar to combined electricity of Latin America and India in 2010 (but still there are 30 % of the population who still do not have access to electricity.)

 

 

The investment required to meet this production level by 2040 is around $490 billion and $345 billion will be required for its transmission and distribution.  There will rise in the share of natural gas from 6 to 45 % by the year 2040, and the expense of coal will drop from 51 % to 23%. The share of renewables will increase up to 26%  which is presently around 21%.

 

Future Scope of Solar and Renewable Energy for Africa

Solar and wind energy has now become the most efficient way to generate energy as the life span of the coal-powered station has almost completed.  By 2050, around 95 % of electricity in Africa will be generated by using renewable energy resources like solar, wind and geothermal energy.

Renewable energy is the most effective solution to the long-running shortage of electricity supply in South Africa as in Africa around two-thirds of the population which is approximately 600 million people have electricity access. With only seven countries of this continent with exceeding 50% of electricity rates, electricity access is the main reason behind the development. It is essential to power telecommunication, water supply, healthcare, and educational services.

With the potential of generating 10 terawatts of solar energy, 1 gigawatt of geothermal energy and 1300 gigawatts of wind power, renewable energy will be the future of Africa. It will eliminate the requirements of fossil fuels which has a negative impact on the environment as well as society.  African governments, as well as the private sector, are now finding cheaper and smarter ways to produce the energy and tackle the electricity deficit in the continent.

Most of the experts agree that Africa requires to increase its electricity production by using renewable sources like wind, predominantly solar and hydroelectric. Africa is the continent of a growing private market for renewable energy ventures which results in the increased number of investors who are investing in the development of technologies that can lead to sustainable and clean energy generation.

Energy market of various countries in Africa is experiencing a structural transformation which is in the direction of a more economically integration of renewable energies. The rapid rollout of wind and solar energy in some of the African Countries depicts that “renewable plays an essential role in the overall energy mix Africa.”

According to the Solar Magazine interview with Benjamin Attia ( Wood Mackenzie Power & RenewablesAnalyst), stated that Wood Mackenzie had a collaborative partnership with Energy 4 impact(Non-profit organization). They seek to decrease poverty by accelerating energy access. They are providing bsiness, financing, and technical advice to off-grid energy businesses working in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Facts related to Solar and Renewable Energy Implementation in Africa?

 

Rising off-grid solar investment

  • In early December, Government of UK stated that they will invest another ₤100 million through the REPP (Renewable Energy Performance Platform) in various projects. So, it boosts the growth of the renewable energy sector of Sub Saharan Africa. This fund was made in 2015 for helping the project developers to overcome the financial problems.
  • Wind, hydroelectric, spanning solar, biomass and geothermal power generation,  the REPP program is funding 18 renewable energy projects in different countries of Sub-Saharan Africa which includes Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, and Burundi – as per the news update.
  • The new funding of  €100 million will manage the finance of many projects and programs based on renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa for the upcoming five years as per the UK government. Moreover, REPP is an integral part of the UK commitment to internationally invest about €5.8 billion regarding climate finance by 2020.

Geographic and downstream off-grid solar expansion

Sub Saharan off-grid solar companies continuously raising financial sources for expanding geographically and to enhance the range of their off-grid electronic products. Also:

  • During Dec 2011, Off-Grid Electric or Zola Electric had stated that it has acquired about USD 32.5 million credit facility, so that they can finance and manage their activities in Tanzania within the five years.

D.light was established in 2007, it works towards providing solar power to 62 countries and around 88 million people according to the management.  The products and services offered by company extend to include the portable solar lanterns which double as the LED lighting, flat-screen TV, mobile phone rechargers and the small home appliances.

The D.light has raised around US$100 million in the past two years in equity and debt financing.  Even, some of the initial investors of D.light took profit of the latest investment funding and make their exit.

 

Final Verdict

As the power sector sub-Saharan Africa facing various challenges but still there is a real push for change. Like Sustainable Energy program of UN assisting private sector activity in various parts of the value chain. Even, the region holds the ability to lead the sector development to the new level. And the Success will drive the economic growth of the continent and improve the lives of millions of people. Also, supports in increasing electricity supply over various industry and providing millions of jobs around the continent.

Insects are declining rapidly – here’s why that needs to change

Posted on by dishanth
Insects are declining rapidly – here’s why that needs to change
  • Climate change and habitat loss are some of the main causes of the decline in insect populations.
  • They provide important ecosystem services to food and fibre production, through actions such as pollination, nutrient cycling and control of pest insects.

Insects are fundamental to the functioning of land and freshwater ecosystems. They permeate all aspects of these ecosystems, chewing and pooing, pollinating, seed spreading and affecting each other’s population levels through predation and parasitism. They also provide ecological processes of vital importance for frogs, lizards, birds and mammals, especially as food items for these vertebrates.

Insects also supply ecosystem services of great benefit in support of human activity, especially food and fibre production, through actions such as pollination, nutrient cycling and control of pest insects. This means that the fate of insects is entwined with that of people and of many other vertebrates.

Yet all is not well with this entomological fabric. Insects are declining in abundance in many parts of the world, and species are being lost at a rapid rate, especially through the felling of tropical trees.

Scientists warn that these declines and losses are undermining the ecosystems on which many lives depend. One of the known root causes is habitat loss. This occurs especially through insect population decline and extinctions arising from the carving up of the landscape and planting extensive fields of single crops which causes landscape degradation and eventually leads to loss of their natural habitat.

Other factors are the uncontrolled use of polluting compounds, especially nitrogen-based fertilisers, overuse of pesticides, the spread of invasive alien species and loss because other species on which they depend are also being lost.

 

The world’s insects are in trouble.
Image: Statista

 

Overarching all of these impacts is global climate change, which is complex in its manifestation on insect populations and interacts with the other impacts. Climate change is associated with more extreme weather events and with more intense and frequent fires reducing insect populations. It also changes pest prevalence, making their control more difficult.

In addition to this, landscape fragmentation and habitat loss mean that insects cannot move so easily across the terrain to find the conditions that suit them best, as they once did. And these optimal habitats are becoming further apart and smaller. Yet the future is not at all hopeless. Strategies are being put in place in various parts of the world that when scaled up, will benefit insects globally.

 

Unequal effect

Not all insects are being affected equally. Individual species responses depend on genetic disposition, crafted by past events, often long before human impact on the landscape.

Some species survive well in human-modified circumstances, whether agro-forestry or in cities. Others have the capability of surviving well in certain agro-ecosystems or even city parks. But many are specialists that require particular circumstances or particular host species in order to live.

These specialists are the ones being lost at an alarming rate, especially in tropical forests undergoing rampant deforestation. Their home space is being greatly reduced, lessening their opportunity for survival. When this shrinking space reaches a critically low level, they have nowhere else to go.

In contrast, some genetic modifications enable certain insects to adapt to the changing human environment. The Small ermine moth (Yponomeuta cagnagella), for example, is becoming less responsive to artificial light, improving its chances of survival in the urban environment.

Others can benefit enormously from some artificial environments. This is best seen in the case of artificial ponds. Our research found that these provide many more opportunities for survival, as more options are available, especially when natural ponds are under drought stress.

 

What needs to be done

International scientists have proposed a roadmap to deal with many of the problems that insects are facing. These are strategies for a way forward not only for long-term insect survival but for ensuring that insect populations continue to provide ecosystem services beneficial to humans. These include the pollination of crops, control of pests using natural predatory and parasitic insects and maintenance of healthy soil.

Recently though, much more detailed strategies have emerged. These focus on specific ecosystems, whether forest, grassland, freshwater, caves or cities. In short, various research activities around the world, in concert with effective implementation, have illustrated that there are positive ways forward.

These strategies involve much more investment in the future, rather than on destructive short-term economic gains. Different parts of the world can benefit from these findings and tailor them to local conditions.

Among the strategies available are implementation of functional corridor networks of natural vegetation among crops and plantations that enable insects to move across the landscape. Planting particular vegetation between crop rows and around field margins can also be beneficial, as can the careful planting of roadsides.

Rivers can be rehabilitated by ensuring no run-off of pollutants and pesticides, and restoring the river banks with natural vegetation. Reduced insecticide input is essential, as pollinating bees in particular are suffering greatly.

Biological alternatives to pest control, such as parasitic wasps and predatory beetles, are available. These often go hand in hand with re-establishment of natural vegetation.

Cities, towns and abandoned land can also make a great contribution by increasing the amount of green space relative to the hard grey of the man-made structures. Vegetated green roofs and walls can also help create habitats for insects.

If this generation doesn’t put these strategies in place, the future for future generations will be bleak because options for resilient landscapes are diminishing.

 

 

Written by

Michael Samways, Professor, Conversation Ecology & Entomology

This article is published in collaboration with The Conversation.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.