Page 12 - AfrElec Week 44 2020

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for task force on Africa. “There are a vast number WIND
the construction of solar energy plants with of opportunities, but this is not without the
a capacity of 500MW, the Sudanese energy various challenges each of us face within Offshore wind energy to
ministry said in a statement on Sunday. our countries and in Africa as a whole: from
UAE, represented by one of its private policy and political will, to enabling regulatory double by 2025
companies, will supply, build, install and environments, to skills development and
operate plants for 20 years, the energy capacity building, right through to localization Wind and solar energy are quickly becoming
ministry said, without specifying how many and industrialization.” one of the cheapest forms of energy across the
plants the deal would entail. With 6.6 GW at the end of 2019, the world. This is leading to a booming growth
The Gulf country will also train and African continent still represents only 1% in these two renewable energy industries,
employ Sudanese workers throughout the of the world’s installed PV capacity. David with several large carbon emitting countries
contract period, with a commitment by the Wedepohl of the German Solar Association vowing to expand renewable infrastructure in
Sudanese government to purchase electricity (BSW-Solar), presenting findings of the the coming decades to meet decarbonization
at a competitive price, according to the Intersolar Solarize Africa Market Report 2020, efforts. Data on future global power expansion
statement. commented: “Paradoxically, the global growth shows a potential giant leap forward in
of photovoltaics so far took place outside the offshore wind production over the next five
Global Solar Council supports new PV sunniest regions of the world. Tapping into the years.
markets in Africa: collaboration for solar discussions in the various markets, we have In data collected by Bloomberg, an
growth and universal access to electricity found a new mood of invigoration. Our report estimated 25GW of power capacity will
In a region that’s facing explosive growth in sheds light on the large wave of solar power be generated by offshore wind farms in
electricity needs, the International Renewable installations that is now starting to form on the world during 2020. That’s expected to
Energy Association (IRENA) forecasts large the African continent”. rapidly increase in the coming years, with
expansion in solar PV in the coming decade The report also highlights that around total capacity predicted to more than double
and expects PV will make a big contribution 1 billion people in Africa do not have to 61GW by 2025. To put that amount of
to total installed capacity in various African access to safe drinking water, showing power into perspective, one gigawatt by itself
regions: for example, IRENA sees potential the huge potential for solar desalination, contains enough energy to power 110 million
for 83 gigawatts (GW) of solar installations solar irrigation/pumping and solar water LED lightbulbs. By 2025’s estimate, offshore
in eastern Africa by 2040 and 62 GW in disinfection applications already being used wind farms will be contributing enough
southern Africa. In west Africa, the ECOWAS on the African continent. energy to power roughly 6.7bn LEDs around
Power Generation & Transmission Masterplan GLOBAL SOLAR COUNCIL the world.
forecasts 36 GW in PV by 2033. According to Bloomberg, competition
The Global Solar Council dedicated its
first Virtual Forum to discussing how solar
PV can accelerate progress towards the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and
analysing the potential of African PV markets,
hearing from 20 industry and sector experts,
regional bodies for promoting renewable
energy and representatives of national
industry associations.
During the Africa session, organized in
collaboration with SolarPower Europe, the
Global Solar Council announced the creation
of a regional task force focused on Africa with
the goal of promoting cooperation among
PV associations, sharing best practices and
promoting high potential emerging markets
to international investors. The task force is one
of three set up by GSC in 2020, with the other
two focusing on Latin America and South
East Asia.
osé Donoso, chair-elect of the Global
Solar Council, commented: “PV is the ideal
solution for Africa because it is the cheapest
way of producing electricity and offers
scalability combined with the possibility of
tailored solutions. Solar energy can resolve the
problem of electrification of the continent.”
“Africa is indeed the next solar PV
destination,” stated Niveshen Govender,
Chief Operations Officer at the South African
Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA)
and coordinator of the Global Solar Council

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 44 05•November•2020