Solar power (solar energy): cheap energy source for Africa
Kerosene lamps and sore eyes were once routine elements of grading student homework. But solar electricity has changed that. African countries, blessed with sunlight all year round, are tapping this free and clean energy source to light up remote and isolated homes that have no immediate hope of linking to their national electricity grid.
Africa possesses some of the world's largest watercourses (hydro-potential), as well as some of the world's largest oil, coal and gas reserves. But african countries to find cheaper power sources while minimizing environmental hazards and ensuring sustainability. The energy experts believe that solar power, clean and renewable, fits the bill.
"African countries must think outside the box. The sunlight is free and inexhaustible. Solar technology - photovoltaic panels - converts the sun's radiation directly into electricity with no pollution or damage to the environment. The panels can generate enough power to run stoves, pump water, light clinics and power televisions. Africa has one of the best climates for this type of energy," The energy expert says.
But even with the compelling advantages solar power offers, the Human Development Report, published by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), shows that the majority of Africans still rely on less efficient traditional energy sources. Wood, or other biomass such as crop waste, is the dominant fuel for cooking. This comes at a huge cost to the environment as families continue to cut down trees for much-needed fuel.
In the early 1990s, numerous villages turned to solar power in parts of Africa where one might least expect to stumble upon an oasis of lights shimmering in the pitch-black night. And perhaps the most ambitious project of this nature, and one that is often cited, is a Zimbabwean project supported by UN Development Programme (UNDP) through the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The initiative, jointly funded by GEF ($7 mn) and Zimbabwe ($400,000), installed some 9,000 solar power systems throughout the country in a bid to improve living standards, but also to curtail land degradation and pollution.
The River Estate near Shamva, 70 kilometres from Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, boasts one of the best solar-village models in the country. Fifty-two commercial farming families share systems; there is one system for every two houses. Each family has two lamps and a connection for a radio or small television set. The new lighting systems have improved the quality of life for the community. They have extended study hours for schoolchildren, reduced rural-to-urban migration in the area and upgraded health standards by electrifying a local health center.
Besides domestic use there, people are harnessing solar power (this cheap energy source) to run small businesses. Entrepreneur Abina Lungu operates a maize-grinding mill in Nyimba, eastern Zambia. With reliable solar energy, he can work well into the night to meet all his customers’ orders. His house, close to the mill, is also lit by solar power (solar energy). Mr. Lungu is one of the many villagers serviced by the Nyimba Energy Service Company (NESCO), an enterprise funded by the Swedish International Development Agency. To get power into a home or shop, NESCO installs a system that includes a panel, battery, charge controller and power points. The cost is $33.33, including the contract fee. Thereafter, consumers pay a monthly rental fee.
Because solar energy is a cheap energy source in Africa, no major marketing is needed to convince African citizens to turn to solar. The demand is high. Nyimba Energy Service Company (NESCO) says it has about 360 people on its waiting list. “We are struggling to satisfy demand,” confesses Mr. Stanislas Sankhani, the company's project manager.
