Renewed Hope
Down To Earth|April 16, 2017

Six hundred million people in Africa do not have access to electricity. But things are poised to change in the coming decades with a steady rise in investments in renewable energy.

Maina Waruru
Renewed Hope

JANET MUSYOKA is a fuel pump operator at a remote shopping centre some 100 kilometres from Nairobi, Kenya. Till 2015, she had to store the fuel above the ground and dispense it manually as there was no electricity to pump it up from underground storage tanks. This was dangerous as the fuel could easily catch fire due to stray sparks. Musyoka would keep applying for a power connection from national utility company Kenya Power, but was often dissuaded by the quotations of over US $5,000 for setting up the power lines.

Things changed that year when a UK electricity mini-grid company, Steama Co, set up a solar energy generation unit, storing the energy in batteries and distributing it through a micro-grid to more than 100 customers around the trading centre.

Electricity now allows Musyoka to use a modern fuel pump to dispense fuel, making her work less cumbersome and turning it into a thriving enterprise.

Musyoka represented an estimated 600 million people in Africa who do not have access to electricity. The continent faces a grave energy crisis: only 32 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa has access to electricity. In urban areas, around 63 per cent of people have electricity, but in rural areas, the number stands at only 19 per cent. Most of the electricity generated in the continent comes from fossil fuels. Given the shortcomings in electricity availability and access, experts have now started looking at renewable energy as the way forward.

Estimates by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) indicate that half of Africa’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2030. Africa has the potential to produce a massive 330 gigawatts (GW) of power from renewable sources, which is waiting to be commercially “harvested”, says IRENA Director General Adnan Amin.

Power of renewables

この記事は Down To Earth の April 16, 2017 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Down To Earth の April 16, 2017 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

DOWN TO EARTHのその他の記事すべて表示
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Down To Earth

A SPRIG TO CARE FOR

Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits

time-read
3 分  |
November 01, 2024
DIGGING A DISASTER
Down To Earth

DIGGING A DISASTER

Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.

time-read
2 分  |
November 01, 2024
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Down To Earth

REVIEW THE TREATMENT

Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient

time-read
3 分  |
November 01, 2024
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
Down To Earth

MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE

As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production

time-read
4 分  |
November 01, 2024
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Down To Earth

Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?

Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag

time-read
4 分  |
November 01, 2024
TROUBLED WOODS
Down To Earth

TROUBLED WOODS

Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health

time-read
10+ 分  |
November 01, 2024
BLINDING GLOW
Down To Earth

BLINDING GLOW

The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.

time-read
10+ 分  |
November 01, 2024
GROUND REALITY
Down To Earth

GROUND REALITY

What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?

time-read
6 分  |
November 01, 2024
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
Down To Earth

GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC

On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.

time-read
6 分  |
November 01, 2024
Vinchurni's Gandhi
Down To Earth

Vinchurni's Gandhi

A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara

time-read
2 分  |
November 01, 2024