Renewable Energy Set For An African Surge Predicts Alessandro Bazzoni

As the dangers of climate change are becoming better known around the globe, the drive to switch to renewable energy sources has increased dramatically. However, despite most countries now making promises and commitments to slash their carbon footprints over the next few years, in practice, many are struggling to make the necessary changes.

Interestingly, though, it appears that Sub-Saharan Africa could be forging ahead with its plans to meet more of its energy needs through renewable resources – something that, according to Alessandro Bazzoni, whose business ventures in the sustainable energy sector have proved to be extremely successful, will not only make an enormous difference to its population, many of whom currently lack reliable access to electricity, but also to the planet itself.

Almost 50% Of Power Generation To Be Renewable By 2040

Alessandro Bazzoni has a vested interest in the renewable energy sector, having worked for many years at a high level in the field. Also notable for his charity work in Africa, the cause of promoting sustainable power generation on the African continent is especially close to his heart, so he received the International Energy Agency’s recent report which stated that renewable energy is likely to make up around 50% of all of the power generation growth in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2040 with great enthusiasm.

This report, the result of the IEA’s first extensive analysis of this region, examined its potential to provide energy for over 600 million people still lacking access to reliable electricity sources. The economy of this region has been going through a period of rapid growth since 2000, however that growth is now being restricted due to the lack of access to power faced by two thirds of the local population.

Solar Power To Lead The Way

The International Energy Agency has predicted that over the next quarter of a century, solar energy is going to emerge as the leading power generation source across the sub-Saharan region. This news doesn’t come as too much of a surprise to Bazzoni, who has long held to the belief that Africa’s vast resources for renewable energy are ripe for unlocking. Not only does vast swathes of Africa have excellent potential for solar power generation, but at the present time, only around 10% of the region’s hydropower potential has been exploited and the continent’s coastal regions also hold huge potential for exploiting wind energy

Geothermal Energy To Become East Africa’s 2nd Biggest Power Supply Source

Bazzoni agrees with the IEA’s view that geothermal energy is set to become East Africa’s second-biggest power supply source, especially in Ethiopia and Kenya, and believes that by 2040 two thirds of rural East Africa’s off-grid and mini-grid systems will be powered by wind, small hydropower or solar photovoltaics. Since the cost of the necessary technology is likely to reduce over the next two decades, Bazzoni predicts that renewable systems will become far more attractive than the use of diesel generators in this region.

Investment And Cooperation Will Boost Africa’s Energy Economy

Although the future for renewables in Africa looks positive, Bazzoni believes that the continent’s energy economy could grow even more quickly if more investment was made in the power sector, and greater cooperation could be encouraged on energy projects. He also believes that better energy-based revenue and resource management could make an enormous difference. Yet, if African governments and external investors could take these ideas seriously, Bazzoni believes the economy of the region could see a 30% boost by 2040.

Positive Signs For The Future

Although greater investment and better management will almost certainly make a big difference to the speed at which the region can adopt renewables, there are many positive signs already that the future in Africa will be a sustainable one. A number of African countries have been successful already in making the necessary steps to scale renewables up. They have adopted support policies, begun to promote investment and collaborate on a regional basis.

Countries such as Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Kenya have all firmly committed to accelerate the use of renewable energy sources and are now leading the way in the efforts to transition to sustainable energy. Over a third of electricity in Morocco is renewable already, with the country’s Noor Quarzazate Solar Power Station taking its place as the biggest concentrated solar power farm anywhere in the world.

Bazzoni is also keen to point out that even some of the smallest countries on the African continent – Rwanda, Cape Verdi and Djibouti to name a few – have set ambitious targets for renewable energy adoption.

Post-COVID Changes

Although the global pandemic has caused problems around the world, Bazzoni reinforces the point that the fundamentals of expanding renewable energy haven’t changed. Everything is still on track in Sub-Saharan Africa for sustainable energy to surge and generate around 50% of all power generation growth by 2040.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes