Renewable energy,
crisis solution?
Africa Energy Portal launches
“The power industry is facing unprecedented
change. By 2025, traditional centralised utility
network models will be complemented by a world
of distributed energy (that is, renewables) disrupting
existing business models,” Madangombe said. He
added that the concept of renewable energy is
gaining a lot of traction and will play a crucial role in
providing energy to over 600 million inhabitants that
currently do not have access to electricity in Africa.
In addition, renewable energy could be seen as a
solution to the growing problem of climate change.
Madangombe believes that the biggest challenges
facing the renewable energy market currently was
energy storage. “How do you store energy harnessed
during the day when most people do not need it for
consumption, for use during peak times, which is
normally evening and early morning?” he asked.
New technological developments in the renewable
energy market, with projections, reflect a reduction
in the costs for renewable energy technology by
2025. Such technologies will be cheaper than fossil-
powered energy. “Adoption of renewable technology
across the continent has been slow but we must
remember that there is a change management aspect
to this, as there are many steps involved in moving
from traditional coal power plants to wind and solar
plants.” Madangombe touched on trust issues and
governments wanting to be sure that renewable
energy works before making any commitments.
“There needs to be a continued effort to build
partnerships between corporates and governments
so that renewable energy solutions will continue to
grow across the continent,” concluded Madangombe.
Renewable energy has the potential to provide
energy to more than 600 million people in Africa.
www.africanmining.co.za
Schneider Electric’s vice-president of energy in
southern Africa, Taru Madangombe, was among the
speakers who addressed delegates at the sub-Saharan
Africa Power Summit in Cape Town.
Amadou Hott, vice-president of power, energy, climate change, and green growth
at the African Development Bank.
The African Development Bank has launched the Africa Energy Portal
(AEP) at the Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg.
Covering areas of power generation, transmission, distribution, regulation,
and policy, the portal will consolidate, validate, and disseminate energy
data and insights across Africa’s energy value chain. The AEP is designed
to address a lack of information in the sector, by providing a one-stop
shop for accurate, reliable, relevant, and up-to-date information on energy
in Africa. This will include statistics on investment flows and deals, as well
as the socio-economic outcomes of power projects.
“Many international and local stakeholders have experienced the data
access and reliability challenges that hold back substantive participation
in the numerous opportunities within Africa’s energy sector,” commented
Amadou Hott, vice-president of power, energy, climate change, and green
growth at the African Development Bank. The AEP will also provide an
interactive platform for knowledge-sharing among Africa’s energy sector
stakeholders and experts.
Oil and gas boom anticipated for Africa
The discovery of 60 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in Mozambique’s
Rovuma Basin suggests an oil and gas boom for Africa. The five biggest
oil and gas projects are situated in eastern and southern Africa. The
discovery provides many opportunities for foreign investment. In 2017,
foreign investment in oil and gas projects was estimated at USD7-billion.
The discovery also comes with some challenges. For Mozambique to
take its place on the global LNG producers’ stage, there is a massive
demand for improved infrastructure and the rolling out of natural
gas pipelines. Such projects require individuals who are experienced
therein, with the expertise expected to come from expat foreigners
— it is estimated that 16 000 work permits will be needed. It is
becoming difficult to hire foreigners in Mozambique, and the current
legislation and the system are simply not experienced in dealing with
such an influx.
While the projects are still in early stages, huge oil and gas activities are
expected to be booming in Mozambique by 2020.
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