Page 5 - AfrElec Week 30
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AfrElec COMMENTARY AfrElec
d.light solar recently secured $18mn of debt nancing from a group of ethical lenders includ- ing Swiss private equity investor responsAbility Investments and green investor funds Sun- Funder, DWM and SIMA.
e cash will fund domestic solar systems and mobile payment options, two key methods of providing power at home in remote or urban areas.
Kenya aims to achieve universal power access by 2022 through schemes such as its Kenya O -Grid Solar Access Project.
Job prospects
As well as lower costs, a report from the green industry NGO Power for All found that the eco- nomic impact of mini-grids in terms of jobs is far higher than traditional large-scale transmission girds.
The NGO’s research showed that decen- tralised renewable energy (DRE), including mini-grids and domestic and industrial solar systems, already employs as many people as traditional utilities in India, Kenya and Nigeria, and that this number would more than double by 2022-23.
e NGO also identi ed a rural jobs mul- tiplier, where DRE provides up to five times more jobs in the wider economy when a rural or remote area receives power for the rst time.
“Access to electricity means access to jobs,” said Rebekah Shirley, Power for All’s chief research o cer.
“The Powering Jobs census offers strong
evidence of the important link between energy access and employment in countries where rural joblessness is at record highs.”
Actions plans
The bank’s data says that there are currently 19,000 mini-grids worldwide – mostly diesel and hydro – of which Africa has just 1,500 and South Asia 9,300.
However, looking ahead, Africa has plans to build 4,000, with Senegal the leader with 1,217 in the pipeline. South Asia is next with 2,200, with India the dominant country with 1,905.
The World Bank’s report set a number of targets for private investment and technical improvements in mini-grids in order to achieve universal power access by 2030.
It aims to raise $220bn of investment from donors, governments and the private sector between 2019 and 2030 and to drive down the cost of solar-hybrid mini-grids to $0.20 per Wh.
It views that 1,500 projects per key access-de cit country must be built every year by 2030. In technical terms, it aims to increase the industry-wide average load factor of third-generation mini-grids to 45%.
Finally, the bank aims to establish more ena- bling mini-grid business environments in coun- tries with the lowest electri cation rates.
With the bank calling for 210,00 new mini- grids – mostly solar hybrid – by 2030, it is Africa and Asia that o er the most potential for a tech- nology that is competitive, renewables and o ers the greatest economic impact.
The World Bank believes that 1,500 projects per key access- de cit country must be built every year by 2030.
Week 30 31•July•2019 w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m
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