The Sustainably Energy Campaign and Africa

Beyond the games: revolutionising energy in Africa

There is no doubt that the 2010 World Cup games in South Africa are energising the continent in a figurative sense. But Africa has some very real and very tangible energy needs. What is the energy outlook for this vast continent? Are sustainable energy options realistic for the one billion people who live there? What role can Europe play?

Africa's energy issues: Infrastructure, supply, efficiency

The growing demand for energy in Africa is said to be greater than anywhere else in the world. But because of a lack of stable infrastructure and few national electricity grids, meeting the demand is fraught with challenges. Energy supplies in most of Africa are generally difficult to access, unreliable, or simply unaffordable. In low-income homes across the continent, the dominant fuel source for cooking and lighting is wood, dung or crop waste. Kerosene is also widely used. These sources are neither good for the environment, nor a healthy or sustainable solution for the users.

The majority of African countries (excluding South Africa and Egypt) are able to provide direct access to electricity to no more than 20% of their citizens. Only 2% of Africa's rural residents are connected to national power grids.

It's not only about supply. According to an Energy Research Centre (University of Cape Town) study, energy efficiency is one of the key factors that South Africa must focus on in the coming years. And this is just one example from one country in a continent of more than 50 African nations.

Clearly for Africa to prosper, improvements must be made to the energy infrastructure. In most cases, for better or for worse, there is no existing or inherited traditional energy grid to overhaul. In other cases, power plants exist but many have fallen into disrepair.

It would seem that the timing has never been better for Africa to focus on implementing and investing in long-term sustainable energy solutions.

Can Europe help Africa win?

Central grids provide the electricity supply to virtually all of Europe. But in Africa, a continent where social and economic development has been slow and erratic for decades, national electricity grids still do not exist. Most rural Africans rely on kerosene lanterns for the home and on fuel-powered generators to run televisions or power hospitals.

Sustainable energy sources might very well be the answer for Africa. Solar energy solutions, for example, are cleaner and safer than kerosene and other fuels, and photovoltaic panels offer an affordable alternative to major electrification initiatives.

In recent years, and in the years to come, many Europe-based corporations, organisations and NGO's have been and will continue to manage projects across Africa to help bring sustainable energy sources to the people who live there.

Some of these efforts are part of the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign, an effort launched by the European Union in 2005 to promote sustainable energy policy across the EU-27, and beyond. Here are two examples of Sustainable Energy Europe projects currently active in Africa.

Solar.Now!, managed by the Rural Energy Foundation (REF) in The Netherlands (A member of the Alliance for Rural Electrification), is helping to provide access to renewable energy across seven African countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The project's mission is to improve the living conditions of rural, off-grid households and entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa by stimulating the development of sustainable markets for renewable energy products. Essentially the project helps local entrepreneurs set up and develop their solar business, thereby establishing sustainable supply chains.

Solar.Now! is a market development programme managed by REF in The Netherlands that is providing rural Africa with sustainable access to renewable energy. REF also has launched large-scale awareness campaigns to help drive consumer demand for installations of solar panels. In addition, the programme helps to facilitate access to finance for entrepreneurs and households. To date, more than 110,000 off-grid households have benefited from the programme.

'Having safe and reliable in-home lighting after dark is something most residents in developed countries take for granted,' said REF Director Willem Nolens. 'In Africa, such access can be life-changing. Thanks to solar panels, people can be more productive, for longer periods of time. Parents can read, children can study, families can connect, businesses can grow.'

Another European initiative in Africa is a project of Partners for Euro-African Green Energy (PANGEA). Focused on promoting a sustainable biofuel industry in Africa, PANGEA encourages investment in renewable energy for transport as well as household use. The range of energy products includes biofuels, biomass, co-generation and biogas in addition to large-scale biofuel production for export to the European Union.

For developing countries, PANGEA maintains that increased awareness and access to renewable energy will allow the rural and peri-urban poor to access energy where they had none before. And for countries both in Africa and Europe, using biofuels as a portion of transport fuel reduces reliance on volatile petroleum markets and allows value addition to be kept in the producing country.

Countless other efforts under the umbrella of Sustainable Energy Europe are also helping to make inroads in Africa. Project organisers are hopeful that the focus on Africa sparked by the 2010 World Cup games will help to increase interest in building sustainable energy use across the continent.

About Sustainable Energy Europe

Managed by the European Commission's Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), the Sustainable Energy Europe campaign comprises more than 1,200 energy projects. The campaign is designed to spread best practices in sustainable energy technology, build alliances, and inspire new energy ideas and actions.