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28 Low-carbon Africa: leapfrogging to a green future Low-carbon and renewable potential Table 5: Potential opportunities of small/medium-sized sustainable energy systems in sub-Saharan Africa Type Initiative Opportunities Systems producing electricity based on PV and wind power (for example, minigrid and off-grid electrification) Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) Windbelts (nonturbine wind energy technology) Traditional small-scale wind turbines and pumps Small hydropower and micro-hydro • In the process of development specifically to meet the region’s needs, MFCs could be used 24 hours a day (unlike solar or wind) to charge mobile phones and radios, and as a reliable source of light, replacing the need for kerosene lamps. • In the process of development, the windbelt is a turbine-less windenergy technology that is not subject to grid failures. It is socially beneficial, providing enough lighting for school or households and very suitable to Africa’s low-wind speeds – it can run on as little as 5mph. • Traditional small-scale (10MW) can supply remote communities and catalyse development. Most African countries are already exploiting the benefits for rural communities. 102 • Social and commercial uses. Cogeneration • Potential to expand cogeneration from agricultural waste. 103 Solar PV cells • Cogeneration plants are significantly less affected by the highmaintenance, theft, sabotage, terrorism and political manipulation that characterise centralised, conventional power plants. 104 • Cogen for Africa initiative will stimulate more than US$300m in medium- to long-term investment in the industry through technology transfer, capacity-building and financial incentives. 105 • Capitalising on Africa’s record of having the most intense solar radiation in the world, PV provides reliable, rural electrification, with benefits for employment and education after dark. • Can be used alone or via a grid system. • Individual cells can be combined to customise the system, according to the resource availability and energy needs. • Opportunity to provide technical jobs at a local level.
Low-carbon Africa: leapfrogging to a green future Low-carbon and renewable potential 29 Table 5 (continued): Potential opportunities of small/medium-sized sustainable energy systems in sub-Saharan Africa Type Initiative Opportunities Systems producing thermal energy for heating, drying and cooking Solar water heating, solar dryers, improved stoves • Affordable, accessible, efficient, healthy. Small-scale biogas digesters Improved cook stoves • Can help provide more opportunities for women through reducing time spent on collecting woodfuel and cooking. • Composed of methane and CO 2 , which can be captured and used for cooking and heating, and reducing atmospheric GHG emissions. • Deters deforestation and environmental degradation, reduces air pollution and related health issues. • Affordable, accessible, efficient, healthy. Potential energy savings in Africa from improved cook stoves include: 106 –– rural household energy use: 116 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) –– efficiency improvements: 30-40 per cent –– energy savings: 35-46Mtoe –– maximum fuel-wood savings: 14Mtoe. The IEA has developed a Universal Modern Energy Access Case (UMEAC), which quantifies the number of people who need to gain access to modern energy services and the scale of investments required by 2030. It also relates to the achievement of the MDGs through including an interim target in accordance with MDG 1. The results from the UMEAC scenario can be compared to the scenarios set out in the World Energy Outlook 2010 report, particularly the New Policies Scenario, which considers broad policy commitments that have already been announced and therefore represent no significant future changes to policy from today. 107 A comparison of the projected outcomes for the UMEAC scenario and the New Policy scenario are illustrated in Figure 7 (p31). In its most recent report the IEA estimates the cost of delivering an ‘Energy for All’ scenario. At the regional scale, under the Energy for All scenario, cumulative investment of US$390bn during 2010-2030 would be required to electrify all households in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. 108 Table 6 (p30) displays this investment requirement disaggregated into the periods leading up to the MDG 1 target year of 2015 and the universal access to modern energy services (which would require 100 per cent electricity access) target year of 2030. The estimations show that an additional US$118bn of investment would be required in the region during 2010-2015 to meet the required electricity access target for achieving MDG 1, and an additional US$271bn would be required from 2016-2030 to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030, equivalent to US$19bn per year for the 20-year period. 109 In terms of access to clean cooking facilities, under the Energy for All scenario, an investment of US$22bn during 2010-2030 would be required to achieve universal access to clean cooking facilities in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, or US$1.1bn per year. 110 This gives a total investment required for energy for all in sub-Saharan Africa of US$20bn per year. If the target of achieving (global) universal access to modern energy services (including 100 per cent electrification rate and 100 per cent access to clean cooking facilities) by 2030 is to be met, the IEA estimates that, adding its New Policy scenario and its Energy for All case, it will take US$1tn by 2030. This is US$48bn per year. 111
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