At the same time, in many African countries, solar energy now offers much more than environmental benefits. About 600 million Africans lack reliable access to electricity; In particular in Nigeria, almost half of the 230 million people have no access to electricity grilles. Nowadays, solar energy has become cheap and versatile enough to help make affordable, reliable power to bring millions of creating a win-win for lives and resources of existence and the climate.
That is why Nigeria places his bets on solar mini-grids that produce small installations that produce up to 10 megawatt electricity, enough to feed more than 1,700 American houses that can be set up everywhere. It is crucial that the country has developed Pionier through a mini-grid development by smart policy to attract investments, making it an example for other African countries.
Almost 120 mini-grids are now installed, which feed around 50,000 households and reach around 250,000 people. “Nigeria is actually like a poster child for mini-grid development throughout Africa,” says energy expert Rolake Akinkugbe-Filani, director of Energyinc Advisors, a consultancy for energy infrastructure.
Although there is more work and financing to expand mini-grids on the continent, Nigeria's experience shows that they can play a key role in weaning African communities outside fossil fuels. But the people who live there are more concerned with someone else, immediately benefit: improving living. Affordable, reliable power of the Mbiabet mini-grid has already supercharged local companies, such as in many places where non-profit organizations such as Clean Technology Hub have supported mini-grid development, says iFeoma Malo, the founder of the organization. “We have seen how that has completely transformed those communities.”
The African energy transition takes shape
Together, the countries of Africa are good for less than 5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, and many experts, such as Malo, have a problem with the idea that they have to delimulate fossil fuels quickly; That task should be more urgent for the United States, China, India, the European countries and Russia, which create most of the emissions. Nevertheless, many African countries have set ambitious phase fault goals. Some have already turned to locally abundant renewable energy sources, such as geothermal power of the crust of the earth, which supplies almost half of the electricity in Kenya, and hydropower, which creates more than 80 percent of the electricity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, EtHiopia and Uganda.
