Page 7 - AfrElec Week 25 2022

AfrElec COMMENTARY AfrElec

Africa isn’t being resolved when it is so clearly Renewables – including solar, wind, hydropower
well within our means to do so.” and geothermal – account for over 80% of new
power generation capacity added by 2030 in the
Sustainable Africa Scenario Sustainable Africa Scenario.
In its Outlook, the IEA sets out what it calls a The IEA also admitted that the continent’s gas
Sustainable Africa Scenario, which envisages resources needed to be used to boost industrial-
universal access to modern energy services by isation, while stressing that any fossil fuels that
2030 and the full implementation of all African were burned would still account for a tiny pro-
climate pledges. portion of the world’s emissions.
With demand for energy services in Africa The continent’s industrialisation relies in part
set to grow rapidly, ensuring affordability is an on expanding natural gas use. More than 5 tril-
urgent priority. Increased energy efficiency is lion cubic metres of natural gas resources have
essential for this, since it reduces fuel imports, been discovered to date in Africa that have not
eases strains on existing infrastructure and keeps yet been approved for development.
consumer bills affordable. These resources could provide an additional
Expanded and improved electricity grids pro- 90 bcm of gas a year by 2030, which may well be
vide the backbone of Africa’s new energy systems vital for Africa’s domestic fertiliser, steel, cement
in this scenario and are powered increasingly by and water desalination industries.
renewables. Africa is home to 60% of the best Cumulative CO2 emissions from the use of
solar resources worldwide, but it currently holds these gas resources over the next 30 years would
only 1% of solar PV capacity. be around 10bn tonnes. If these emissions were
Already the cheapest source of power in added to Africa’s cumulative total today, they
many parts of Africa, solar is set to outcom- would bring its share of global emissions to a
pete all other sources continent-wide by 2030. mere 3.5%.™

Week 25 23•June•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P7