The second-largest continent in the world, Africa, tells an interesting story when placed under the renewable energy developments’ lens. Home to 16.72% of the world’s population, Africa’s green energy capacity stood at 12.6 GWs in 2019.
By 2025, it is projected to climb to 51.2 GWs. And 40 out of 50 African countries have pledged to work on various renewable energy developments. Major contributions to this growth will come from countries like Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Tunisia.
Amongst these, the most growth in renewable energy developments will be in Algeria. By 2025, the nation will make a leap from 500 MWs to 2.9 GWs – thanks to the 4 GW Tafouk 1 Mega Solar Project.
Other than that, Egypt has been one of the leading nations to install wind and solar projects to make its grid green. Presently sitting at 3GW of installed capacity, it has another 9.2GW of mostly wind projects in the pipeline as well.
Consequently, 4 out of 10 major renewable energy developments in Africa, within the next 5 years, will be in Egypt.
Can Renewable Energy Developments Benefit Africa?
Africa’s rise in renewable energy circles is attributed to its ever-growing need for energy. With a huge chunk of the world’s population nestled in the continent, it has always been heavily dependent on fossil fuel.
According to the United Nation’s report on the prospects and limitations of green energy in Africa, understanding energy usage and procurement in the continent depends on its many regions.
North Africa, for instance, is heavily dependent on oil and gas, while South Africa mainly runs on coal. Sub-Saharan Africa, on the other hand, is reliant on biogas. While countries like Nigeria power 97% of households with agricultural and food waste.
It comes as no surprise that electricity needs in Africa are pressing. However, the power supply is unreliable and poorly maintained. Moreover, it is marked by high distribution and transmission costs as well.
Consequently, electricity challenges in Africa are deep-rooted. And a step towards modern renewable energy developments is a step in the right direction.
