Furthermore renewable energy off-grid systems do not put unnecessary burden on existing grid capacity, neither do they require system balancing nor need to be managed by the national grid system operators.
Advertisement
Another speaker at the Clean Power Master Class, Sibylle Haase, Head of Unit Renewable Energy at GIZ Nigeria says “Nigeria has the potential to become a leader in renewable energies in the region”. Even with such an ambitious goal in such an ambitious state, renewables will only be able to offer half of the energy demand.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) maintains the cuts are necessary to keep spending on renewables schemes in check. The best example of this plan is the Noor Solar Project located in Ourzazate.
Gabriel Wondrausch started up his solar-panel design and installation company, SunGift Energy, 10 years ago. At the same time, it also aims to reduce total energy consumption by 15 percent. This energy-saving approach is being implemented by Morocco’s Renewable Energy Agency, which has initiated a number of energy efficiency programs in sectors including construction, industry and transport.
“Hence, there is a unique opportunity for African countries to have a diversified energy mix and yet to limit the risks of exposing the continent to the current high costs of power infrastructure which are not expected to abate in the near future”.
Likewise, SIMA Director General Muwaffaq Tayara stressed the importance of adopting renewable and alternative energy sources, as well as shifting away from the culture of overconsumption of resources in general and energy in particular.
At 300 MW, Beltran Solar is one of the largest solar projects under way in California.
The project’s generated energy will be sourced locally and will help stimulate the development of Morocco’s industrial base and create jobs.
Technology also plays an important role in defining a PV power plant’s bankability and, therefore, its attractiveness to investors.
Algeria, with its production of traditional energies such as oil and gas, has suffered from the economic crisis and the fall in oil prices. The agenda also features 25 senior mining executives sharing their energy strategies, including representatives from Anglo America, AngloGold Ashanti, Avalon Rare Metals, Barrick Gold, Glencore, Hudbay Minerals, IAMGOLD, Kinross Gold, Kirkland Lake Gold, Lake Shore Gold, MGX Minerals, Rio Tinto, Roxgold, Rubicon Metals, Stornoway Diamond, Teck, TMAC Resources, U3O8 Corp, and Western Copper and Gold. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy estimates that a few 20 gigawatts of solar energy capacity will be installed in the country by March 2017. “Solar, wind, and geothermal technologies will represent the highest growth, slowly eroding the dominant market share of hydropower, which has recently been prone to severe climate change issues”.
Advertisement
Speaking at a Bloomberg Energy Finance conference, Mr Ewing was reported as saying: “We are extremely disappointed that the United Kingdom government since May has chose to embark on what we can only term as an outright onslaught on renewables through removing planned, tried, tested, promised, clear investment commitments”.
