Africa is speeding up the development of renewable energy

According to the International Energy Agency, Africa has rich renewable energy resources, solar energy, wind energy and water energy reserves account for 40%, 32% and 12% of the world, respectively, and the development potential of renewable energy is huge. In recent years, African countries have accelerated the development of renewable energy. China attaches great importance to renewable energy cooperation with Africa, and more and more Chinese enterprises are participating in Africa's green development process.

We will actively promote the construction of renewable energy projects

At present, many African countries are actively promoting the construction of renewable energy projects. Tunisia's National Energy Management Agency recently announced that it will develop renewable energy as a national strategy, and strive to increase the share of renewable energy in total power generation from less than 3% in 2022 to 24% by 2025. Tunisia has more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, and the government plans to build eight solar photovoltaic plants and eight wind power plants between 2023 and 2025, with a total installed capacity of 800 MW and 600 MW respectively. At present, several renewable energy construction projects with a total investment of 4 billion Tunisian dinars (1 US dollar is about 3.1 Tunisian dinars) are ready and are expected to create thousands of jobs.

According to Niger's latest energy strategic plan, 30% of the country's electricity will come from renewable sources by 2030, and the installed power capacity will be increased by at least five times to 2,000 megawatts. Niger's Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energy recently said that Niger will fully exploit the abundant wind energy in the southern region, the construction of the country's first wind farm, designed with a capacity of 250 megawatts, consisting of 60 wind turbines, planned to be connected to the grid in 2025. When completed, the project is expected to increase Niger's power generation capacity by more than 40 percent and enable it to export electricity to neighboring countries at more competitive prices.

At present, the total installed capacity of renewable energy generation projects approved by the Egyptian government has exceeded 12 GW. The Egyptian government said that it will make full use of solar, wind and other resources to promote more renewable energy power generation projects. Morocco plans to increase its renewable energy capacity to 12 gigawatts by 2030, increasing the share of renewables in the overall energy mix from 40% today to 52% in the next eight years.

Namibia aims to generate 70% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Kenya has set wind power, geothermal and other renewable energy projects as its development priorities. The integrated development project, jointly implemented by Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo and Chad, is expected to be completed in four years and will provide 106 MW of solar power capacity, increase hydropower capacity by 41 MW, while strengthening distribution and transmission systems.

The "2023 Outlook Report" released by the African Solar Industry Association last year shows that the development of the photovoltaic industry in Africa is accelerating. South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and other countries continue to take the lead in photovoltaic construction projects, and more and more regional countries such as Cape Verde, Botswana, Eritrea, etc., are increasing investment in the photovoltaic industry and starting to build and operate large-scale photovoltaic projects.

Africa has great potential for renewable energy development

At the ABU Dhabi Sustainable Development Week 2023 held last year, participants jointly launched the African renewable energy industry Development Initiative, believing that Africa's renewable energy endowment is superior and the development potential is huge. It is expected that by 2050, the installed solar photovoltaic capacity in Africa will grow to 650 GW. Africa's renewable energy transition will unlock 1.2 terawatts of renewable energy potential, generate 14 million new jobs and boost regional GDP by around 6.4%. The initiative calls for enhanced financial, technological and socio-economic investments to scale up Africa's capacity for renewable energy transition and development.

In a report, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa highlighted renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro as viable alternatives to meet the continent's rapidly growing demand for electricity. The World Bank is optimistic about Africa's renewable energy prospects and has recently agreed to invest $311 million in renewable energy projects in West and Central Africa.

According to the Africa Energy Transition Report recently released by data analysis and consulting firm Global Data, the huge potential of renewable energy generation will create conditions for Africa to develop other energy sources, especially green hydrogen technology. In May 2022, the African Green Hydrogen Alliance was launched by six countries - South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco and Mauritania - to accelerate the continent's transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.