Africa: Africa Energy Situation

Africa Energy Situation

Huge fossil energy resources: with huge oil and gas reserves in the northern, southern and western regions and coal reserve in the western and southern regions of the continent, Africa can conveniently meet its electricity needs solely from fossil fuels. Unfortunately however, very little of investment capital, largely from public funds to the energy sector is used for electricity generation. Africa’s overly reliance on aid money for infrastructure funding exposes it to whims and dictates of donors whose choice of project to fund and conditions for aid promote the kind of energy policy across the continent which channels investment capital available for the energy sector to the development of fossil fuels for export and little or none to electricity generation from fossil fuel. Other sources of investment capital than aid money, may offer Africa the leverage it needs to give priority to meeting such local needs as electricity when making decision on development of its abundant fossil energies.

Huge renewable energy resources: Africa’s renewable energy resources are as diverse as they are evenly distributed and enormous in quantity:

• Geothermal resources in the Red Sea Valley, the Rift Valley and between Nigeria’s Atlantic southeast coast and Cameroon’s Atlantic southwest coast remain largely untapped.
• Although Hydroelectricity is the biggest source of electricity in a number of countries in Africa, its potential remains largely underutilized. Again, donors’ preference for large dams prevents the adoption of a new approach to hydroelectricity generation that involves the use of cost effective, easy to erect and ecological friendly micro hydro power plants. Some of the largest water courses in the world are found in Africa’s regions, therefore several decentralized mini and micro hydro power plants on the Nile, Niger, Senegal, Congo, Orange, Limpopo, Volta and Zambezi rivers can generate enough electricity to meet all of Africa’s energy needs.
• Energy from Wind and Ocean current1: Africa is surrounded by Indian Ocean on the east coast and Atlantic Ocean on the west coast with huge ocean wind and current which, if harnessed for electricity, are sufficient to cover all the electricity needs of Africa.
• For example, ocean-current-turbines inside the ocean along the 2000 kilometers long coastline from Morocco to Senegal could potentially generate all of Africa's enegy needs. While wind turbine spacing of only 2.4 MW/km² on parts of the 2000 kilometers long coastline from Morocco to Senegal could potentially generate a production of more than 1000 TWh per year. This would be sufficient to cover the entire electricity needs of Africa or close to half of the entire electricity needs of the European Union estimated at (2300 TWh). Ocean current power plant generates electricity from horizontally flowing Ocean current. The fast the current the more electricity can be generated. While hydro power plant generate electricity using vertically falling water
• Solar resource is by far the single most abundant energy resource Africa has and if harnessed could meet all the electricity needs of Africa. Solar energy, falling freely from Africa’s skies to reach everywhere on the continent without transmission lines can be utilized to provide off-grid electricity to remote communities far from national grids, as well as utility scale electricity for industries.

Excursion:

Ocean current power plant is not hydroelectric power plant:

The only similarity between ocean current power plant and hydroelectricity power plants is that both use turbines in order to transform part of their water’s dynamic energy to rotational energy and through their geared electric generators to produce electric energy. Beyond this, both are operationally different: - Ocean current power plant uses dynamic energy of horizontally flowing ocean (water) current, while hydroelectric power plants uses the dynamic energy of falling water due its gravity. The efficiency of an ocean power plant is proportional to the speed of the water current moving in a horizontal direction, while the efficiency of hydroelectric power plant is proportional to the dam height (height of the water fall).

v  Salient Point

Africa is endowed with huge fossil and renewable energy resources, that electricity should be readily available to every household and industry on the continent. Unfortunately this is not the case

The rate of electrification in Africa is lower than in any other continent

²Source: Energy Outlook 2006

Endowed with fossil and renewable energy resources vast enough to cover all its energy needs, yet it is estimated that no more than 20 per cent, and in some countries as little as 5 per cent of the population has direct access to electricity1. The proportion of people in Africa still without electricity is higher than in any other continent. . The rate of urban electrification is lower than in any other continent.

This situation is worse in rural areas where four out of five people in Africa, are without electricity1. The rate of rural electrification is lower than in any other continent. The proportion of people in Africa still depending on inefficient traditional energy sources is higher than in any other continent. The dominant source of fuel in low-income African homes is wood which women and children spend many hours in search of. Electricity could extend study hours for these school children, and free up time for other activities for women.

Deforestation with associated land erosion and desertification continue to worsen as trees are cut down for desperately needed fire wood. In general, the rate of electrification in Africa is lower than in any other continent!

v Salient points: Rate of electrification in Africa:

Ø The rate of urban electrification is lower than in any other continent.

Ø The rate of rural electrification is lower than in any other continent.

Ø The proportion of people in Africa still without electricity is higher than in any other continent