Affordable and Clean Energy

Permanent URI for this collection

https://lhg.cput.ac.za//handle/123456789/18

Browse

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Energy technology perspectives 2023
(International Energy Agency (IEA), 2023)
The Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have led to major disruptions to global energy and technology supply chains. Soaring prices for energy and materials, and shortages of critical minerals, semiconductors and other components are posing potential roadblocks for the energy transition. Against this backdrop, Energy Technology Perspectives 2023 (ETP-2023) provides analysis on the risks and opportunities surrounding the development and scaling up of clean energy and technology supply chains in the years ahead, viewed through the lenses of energy security, resilience and sustainability. Building on the latest energy, commodity and technology data – as well as recent energy, climate and industrial policy announcements – ETP-2023 explores critical questions around clean energy and technology supply chains. What are the main bottlenecks for efforts to scale up those supply chains sustainably and at the pace needed? How might governments shape their industrial policy in response to new energy security concerns for clean energy transitions? Which clean technology areas are at greatest risk of failing to develop secure and resilient supply chains? And what can governments do to mitigate such risks while meeting broader development goals? The Energy Technology Perspectives series is the IEA’s flagship technology publication, which has been key source of insights on all matters relating to energy technology since 2006. ETP-2023 will be an indispensable guidebook for decision-makers in governments and industry seeking to tap into the opportunities offered by the emerging new energy economy, while navigating uncertainties and safeguarding energy security.
Ghana: renewable readiness assessment
(International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 2015) Singh, Gaun; Nouhou, Safiatou Alzouma; Sokona, Mohamed Youba
Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana is on the West Coast of Africa. In 2014, the population stood at 27 million, with a relatively high rate growth rate of 2.4% per annum. Its gross domestic product (GDP) has been increasing by about 5.5% per year on average, peaking at 15% in 2011 due to the start of crude oil production. Biomass, consisting mainly of wood fuel like firewood and charcoal and to a lesser extent crop residues, accounts for half the Total Primary Energy Supply. Oil is the second most widely used source of energy in Ghana, accounting for 40% of primary energy supply, followed by hydropower and natural gas accounting for 7% and 3% respectively. Large hydropower and oil-fired plants provide most of the electricity (64% and 36% respectively). The Ghanaian power industry is unbundled and consists of state-owned utilities. The generation utilities are the Volta River Authority (VRA) and Bui Power Authority. The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) are responsible for transmission and distribution along with independent power producers (IPPs) like Sunon Asogli and CENIT Energy. Access to electricity is around 72% with over 87% for urban areas and just under 50% for rural areas. In 2012, total generated electricity in Ghana stood at 12,870 gigawatt-hours (GWh) with demand at 9,000 GWh. This means the country is a net power exporter to neighbouring countries Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso. However, domestic demand is growing annually by about 10% and is expected to reach around 24,000 GWh by 2020. This will require an increase in generation capacity to more than 3.5 gigawatts (GW) by 2020. Furthermore, recent constraints in the supply of natural gas caused by damage to the West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP) have severely curtailed the capacity of thermal power plants to meet peak demand. This amounts to around 1,745 megawatts (MW). This has forced the utilities to practise periodic load shedding since August 2012. Ghana enjoys excellent renewable energy resources, particularly biomass, solar, wind and, to a limited extent, small (1 MW - 30 MW, according to Economic Community of West African States — ECOWAS) and mini (100 kilowatt (kW) - 1 MW) hydropower. When combined with aggressive measures to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy development can contribute substantially to expanding energy access while reducing the latent energy crises stalking the country. Although, Ghana abounds in renewable energy resources, the bulk of this potential largely remained untapped. In 2011, a Renewable Energy Law (Act 882) was adopted to provide fiscal incentives and regulatory framework to encourage private sector investment. The provisions of the Renewable Energy Law includes: Feed-in Tariffs (FiT), Renewable Energy Purchase Obligations (RPO), Net Metering (distributed generation), Off-grid Electrification for Isolated Communities, Promotion of Clean Cookstoves, Research and Development, Renewable Energy Fund (RE Fund), and the establishment of a Renewable Energy Authority (REA). This report presents the output of the Renewables Readiness Assessment (RRA) process in Ghana. It highlights a number of bottlenecks impeding the widespread deployment of renewable energy systems in Ghana, and identifies a range of critical actions in key areas, which when implemented, could have a significant impact on the scaling up of renewable energy in the short- to medium-term. The report also identifies stakeholders who are required or expected to play various roles towards the implementation of the recommended action and the period of time within which, the actions are realistically expected to be implemented.
North Africa: policies and finance for renewable energy deployment
(International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 2023)
North Africa – Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan – is the African continent’s largest energy market. The region boasts relatively high rates of socio-economic development, industrialisation and access to modern energy. North Africa possesses significant renewable energy potential for utility-scale solar and wind power, beyond what has already been tapped. It also has decentralised, off-grid solutions set up in remote areas, and large potential markets in countries where access to electricity is limited, notably Libya and Sudan. These factors could make North Africa one of the continent’s most dynamic energy markets in the near future, including for renewable energy. The brief by the International Renewable Energy Agency, highlights North Africa’s large renewable energy potential and explores its current policy environment to support the energy transition and the deployment of renewable energy in the coming years. It provides an overview of the region’s energy sector, including the role played by renewable energy. It also highlights the renewable energy deployment commitments of North African governments in the coming decade as well as those incorporated under energy and climate mitigation plans. The brief outlines the evolving policy landscape for renewable energy in the region, including fiscal and financial incentives; power sector reforms; structured procurement products; and policies for the direct use of renewables in heating, cooling and transport. Focus sections explore green hydrogen and the opportunities for regional power trading. The brief explores investment and finance trends in North Africa and considers policies to prevent the most vulnerable populations from being further marginalised due to the structural transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewables.
Renewable energy market analysis: Africa and its regions
(International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 2022)
Africa is at a crossroads. For many of the people of this vast and diverse continent, access to affordable, clean and sustainable energy remains an aspiration. The need for better and more abundant energy is evident in many walks of life, from households relying on dirty fuels for cooking and farmers lacking energy to harvest their crops, and from health clinics struggling to power operating rooms to businesses contending with power outages. Climate change is fast adding new challenges in the form of extreme weather events, rising temperatures and more variable rainfall. We know that renewable energy can help to resolve many of these social, economic, health and environmental challenges. Renewables are key to overcoming energy poverty, providing energy services without damaging human health or ecosystems, and enabling sustainable socio-economic development. As this report shows, a transition to a renewables-based energy system in Africa promises substantial gains in GDP, employment, and human welfare in each of the continent’s constitutive regions. Although Africa’s share of global renewable energy investments and capacity installations remained relatively small over the past decade, the continent can draw on a vast wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal resource potential. Falling costs are increasingly bringing renewables within reach, whether through grid extension, mini-grids or stand-alone applications. A profound energy transition centred on renewables and energy efficiency is increasingly understood as not only feasible but essential for a climate-safe future in which sustainable development prerogatives are met. In fact, a sophisticated understanding of the intimate connections between the energy system and the economy at large is essential in designing policies, along with an appreciation of the ways in which both are linked to the world’s ecosystems and human wellbeing. Experience around the world gives us a strong sense of what it takes to succeed. As this report makes clear, African policymakers can draw on a wealth of experience in planning, financing, and deploying renewable energy projects, and integrating them into energy systems. But as is true in other parts of the world, it is critical that each African country play to its own strengths and understand its weaknesses, whether in terms of its industrial capacities, commodity and trade dependencies, or skills base. Countries can and must learn from each other. Intra-regional and broader international cooperation can overcome drawbacks any individual country may face on its own. A wide-ranging challenge demands a comprehensive policymaking approach. This report illuminates the array of policy areas that may contribute to a successful energy transition. But rather than picking policies selectively, they all need to be part of an overarching, holistic framework that is more than just the sum of its parts. The growing discourse on a Green Deal in places like Europe and North America has spotlighted the importance of a bold, systemic approach. A Green Deal will of necessity look different in Africa, tailored to its own circumstances. But the key point is its transformative nature: pursuing synergies in resolving pressing social, economic, health, and environmental issues, recognising that because market-driven approaches alone will not suffice strong public interventions are needed, and placing people at the centre of the transition. The objectives of Africa’s energy transition are far-reaching economic diversification; the creation of decent jobs; environmental stewardship and climate resilience; and universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy. A comprehensive policy package, as detailed in this report, must be underpinned by strong institutions and adequate financial resources, assisted by international collaboration, and supported by communities on the ground. This report offers policymakers and the interested public a wealth of data, insights, and policy recommendations. It is my hope that it will also prove to be an inspiration, helping to spark the energy transition and driving the continent’s sustainable development.
Renewable energy markets: GCC 2023
(International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 2023)
The GCC countries are some of the world’s most significant fossil fuel producers and exporters, and are among the world’s largest per capita emitters of CO2. However, this report shows that renewable energy deployment is growing in the region; albeit the share of renewables in the electricity mix of the GCC region remains negligible, accounting for only 3% of the region’s generation capacity in 2022. Renewable energy deployment also remains highly concentrated in the region, with the UAE accounting for more than 60% of the region’s total renewables capacity and close to 70% of renewable energy investments; yet investments and deployments are expected to accelerate across all GCC states as they implement their renewable energy plans. The energy transition, including renewable energy deployment, presents the region with opportunities for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as economic diversification. Climate vulnerability is high in the region, reinforcing the importance of urgent climate mitigation and adaptation actions in which renewables play a critical role. The GCC has a solid energy infrastructure that can be leveraged and built on for increased shares of renewables. Domestically, investments in renewables in the GCC are expected to reach new heights in the years to come following COP28. While the region’s past has clearly been shaped by fossil fuels, its future may well be shaped by renewables.
Renewables readiness assessment: Burkina Faso
(International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 2023) Fichaux, Nicolas
This renewables readiness assessment (RRA) for Burkina Faso has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries. It identifies several drivers for the country to accelerate its energy transition. These include securing a sustainable energy supply at affordable and stable prices; increasing the resilience of rural communities through energy access; leveraging its significant renewable energy potential to diversify its economy and create qualified and sustainable jobs; and honouring its international commitments to address climate and health impacts in the energy sector. The assessment also examines existing enabling frameworks for renewable energy deployment, as well as an overview of the renewable energy financing landscape, including international, regional and national financial instruments and programmes to promote renewable energy investments. Key recommendations in the report include the reinforcement of institutional frameworks; development and updating of an integrated resource plan with investment plans for grid capacity and electricity storage; development of business models for rural electrification; strengthening of financing capacities, and insurance and tax ecosystems; operationalisation of rooftop solar and net metering; regulation of the solar home systems market; supporting local industries and entrepreneurship; assessment of bioenergy potential; and review of hydropower potential.
The renewable energy transition in Africa: powering access, resilience and prosperity
(KfW Development Bank ; IRENA, 2021)
Over the coming decades, the countries on the African continent can address fundamental challenges of energy access, energy security and climate change. Countries still suffering from energy poverty can achieve universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030, as set out in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7, improving the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of their citizens. At the same time, Africa can harness its abundant potential of increasingly cost-competitive renewable energy to service growing demand for electricity and avoid a potential fossil-fuel lock-in. Even with efficiency measures in place, energy demand in African economies is expected to nearly double by 2040, as populations grow and living standards improve. By choosing sustainable energy sources over fossil fuels, Africa can create new jobs, experience greater economic growth and harvest social and health benefits while helping to mitigate devastating impacts of climate change. African leaders have made clear their commitment to attaining inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development in the Agenda 2063: the Africa We Want. Achieving universal energy access is a critical underpinning of resilient and prosperous economies and societies and remains a top priority for African nations. Successfully transitioning the energy sector will depend on political leadership and ownership of the process. To support these goals, the international community should bolster support efforts and encourage accelerated action. This study looks at the current state of play and proposes pathways for such support. Based on an analysis of the current state of the electricity sectors on the continent, this study identifies the main enablers necessary for countries to overcome a range of barriers to a green, inclusive energy transition in Africa. Furthermore, this study outlines the need for stronger coordination in promoting the energy transition, taking into account the specific political economy of respective national electricity sectors, and highlights four focus areas where a broader set of development instruments needs to be applied in order to create a new partnership between African governments and development partners. This study argues that African countries, bolstered by active engagement from their partners and mandated continental and regional organisations such as the African Union, could seize the opportunity to leapfrog fossil fuel technologies and pursue a climate-friendly, needs-oriented power strategy aligned with the Paris Agreement and low-carbon growth. The levelised cost of electricity from solar PV decreased by 82 percent between 2010 and 2019, while the cost of onshore wind fell by 40 percent. This means that in 2020, renewable energy is in most cases the least-cost option for new electricity generation capacity globally. Technology solutions are abundant and ready to be deployed to meet Africa’s growing energy demand in an economically viable manner, while offering significant opportunities for job creation and industrial development. Importantly, energy-poor and unserved populations could get universal access to electricity. In fact, Africa’s estimated potential to generate renewable energy from existing technologies is 1,000 times larger than its projected demand for electricity in 2040, which means that the continent has more than enough renewable energy potential to serve its future demand. Furthermore, renewable energy – including green hydrogen – could replace African exports of coal, oil and gas. This potential is far from fully harnessed at this point. In 2019, 72 percent of the new electricity generation capacity added globally was renewable. However, only 2,000 out of almost 180,000 MW of this new renewable power were added on the African continent. The rest of the world is increasingly transitioning towards renewable energy-based electricity systems – and Africa has the opportunity to do the same. Energy transitions can be part of a strategy for a clean energy future, forward-looking industrial development, inclusive social progress and human welfare. IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook: Energy Transformation 2050 shows that decarbonising the global energy sector is more than fuel replacement. It is a means of job creation – renewables alone would account for 45 million jobs in 2050, exceeding today’s 40 million energy jobs worldwide. Global GDP would be 2.4 percent higher with renewables-based energy transition, opening ample avenues for industrial development. African countries can thus leapfrog into a sustainable, secure energy future – one that fosters equitable human development and protects both livelihoods and the environment.

Browse

Browsing Affordable and Clean Energy by Subject "Electric power distribution"

Results Per Page

Sort Options