…….bridge power supply gaps
Senior policy advisor of Solar Power Europe, Miguel Herrero Cangas, has called on policy makers across sub-Saharan African nations to tailor their investment decisions into solar projects to bridge power supply gaps and achieve sustainable economic recovery.
Speaking recently during a webinar captioned, ‘How policymakers, the grid and big techs are key to net zero,’ Cangas maintained that solar energy is potentially the key to achieving a resilient economic recovery as countries across the globe are trying to recover from the economic downturn orchestrated by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
Cangas, who expressed concerns over the slow penetration of solar power in Africa said that there is the need for African governments to increase access to electricity to its large population. He pointed out that the key complexity is the grid that needs to be developed to meet the growing population’s energy demands.
According to him, “The key challenge in Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, is how to increase access to electricity for a very large population that does not have access to reliable clean electricity. The cost effectiveness of solar comes in to provide at least some solutions, although there are very notable solar projects in Nigeria and also some business models related to solar projects.”
He emphasized that “The key complexity is the grid; there is a need to develop grids that can meet the needs of the growing population with growing population needs.”
He admitted that “It is going to take a lot of effort, but we are working actively to collaborate with industry associations in Nigeria and other parts of the country in Africa to unlock the potentials of solar.”
Cangas insisted that to decarbonize an economy in an active way, there is an urgent need for renewable energy to shield markets from energy price hikes as well as there is a need for a decentralized renewable energy to make sure that everyone contributes and benefits from energy transition.
The policy expert said that “Beyond the need to electrify our 45 per cent target in renewable energy, we are expecting the solar market in the European Union to grow at an accelerated rate. The most important thing right now is to make sure that we get the implementation of the clean energy package right.
“We had these very good set of regulations approved a couple of years ago, unfortunately some key points were not fully translated into national law in such a way that permitted administrative procedures, hence, we are still slowing down the development of solar projects across the EU.
“We have to improve the clean energy package in a number of ways. We also have to set up the right conditions for the development and growth of the renewable hydrogen market which will play a very important role particularly in decarbonizing sectors where direct electrification is not possible.”
He further noted that the two most selling points of solar energy are the price competitiveness and the massive amount of job opportunities it creates during the construction phase.
Cangas also stated that corporate sourcing is the most cost effective way to truly have a win-win situation to unlock credit investments towards a clean energy transition and decarbonization of global economies.
Also speaking, the leader of the Distributed Energy Management Segment, Eaton, Dirk Kaisers, said that there is the need for effective partnerships to achieve a successful energy transition.
Kaisers said that all hands must be on deck to supply power to areas that do not have access to electricity in order to improve their standard of living.
According to him, “We see new players coming into the game. We are working on critical infrastructure. There is also the need to have the right digital tools that can manage new infrastructure in the industry as the architecture is changing rapidly across the globe. We also need clear market regulations and rules that certainly incentivize the right use of these critical infrastructure and assets.”
Similarly, the Public Affairs and Policy Manager of the National Grid ESO, Dipali Raniga, said that only one organizational initiative cannot get the world to net zero carbon.
Raniga noted that effective innovation, investment and planning have to work holistically to achieve the net zero target.
“It will take businesses, governments, each of us as citizens to really work together to make this happen in a way that best benefits the society,” Raniga said.
By Sunday Elom
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