Juxtaposing Sub-Sahara Africa’s energy poverty and renewable energy potential

Abstract

Recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a comprehensive roadmap for the global energy sector to achieve net-zero emission by 2050. Considering the sizeable share of (Sub-Sahara) Africa in the global population, the attainment of global energy sector net-zero emission is practically impossible without a commitment from African countries. Therefore, it is important to study and analyze feasible/sustainable ways to solve the energy/electricity poverty in Africa. In this paper, the energy poverty in Africa and the high renewable energy (RE) potential are reviewed. Beyond this, the generation of electricity from the abundant RE potential in this region is analyzed in hourly timestep. This study is novel as it proposes a Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) central grid as one of the fastest/feasible solutions to the energy poverty problem in this region. The integration of a sizeable share of electric vehicles with the proposed central grid is also analyzed. This study aims to determine the RE electricity generation capacities, economic costs, and supply strategies required to balance the projected future electricity demand in SSA. The analysis presented in this study is done considering 2030 and 2040 as the targeted years of implementation. EnergyPLAN simulation program is used to simulate/analyze the generation of electricity for the central grid. The review of the energy poverty in SSA showed that the electricity access of all the countries in this region is less than 100%. The analysis of the proposed central RE grid system is a viable and sustainable option, however, it requires strategic financial planning for its implementation. The cheapest investment cost from all the case scenarios in this study is $298 billion. Considering the use of a single RE technology, wind power systems implementation by 2030 and 2040 are the most feasible options as they have the least economic costs. Overall, the integration of the existing/fossil-fueled power systems with RE technologies for the proposed central grid will be the cheapest/easiest pathway as it requires the least economic costs. While this does not require the integration of storage systems, it will help the SSA countries reduce their electricity sector carbon emission by 56.6% and 61.8% by 2030 and 2040 respectively.

Exploring Energy Poverty among Off-Grid Households in the Upper Blinkwater Community, South Africa

“…At the same time, total energy consumption has been decreasing since 2017 at a rate of 1.5% per year. This highlights the ongoing challenges in ensuring adequate and reliable energy access for all households in South Africa [46]. Furthermore, [49] observed a declining use of clean energy for cooking, water heating, and space heating from 2019 to 2021.…”

“…These definitions recognize that energy services, including heating, lighting, and powering appliances, are essential for basic household functioning and overall well-being, linking energy poverty to the inability to afford sufficient heating or cooling, and beyond access to electricity and clean cooking solutions to also include factors like energy affordability, reliability, and quality, affecting nearly 2.6 billion people globally, with Sub-Saharan Africa being the most deprived of electricity access [46].…”

Navigating complexity: integrating political realities into energy system modelling for effective policy in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…These decisions are not merely characterized by technical uncertainties but are inherently entwined with political contestations. In sub-Saharan Africa, countries navigate trade-offs in energy policymaking, balancing the need for energy security with concerns about the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources (Mukhtar et al 2023), between centralized systems that offer economies of scale and decentralized technologies that offer resilience (Boamah 2020), and navigating their commitments to the expansion of renewable energy against the implications of allocating land for energy projects (McEwan 2017).…”

Unlocking the Technology Potential for Universal Access to Clean Energy in Developing Countries

“…Over 750 million people live without electricity throughout the world, and at least 2.6 billion people use biomass as their main cooking fuel [1][2][3][4]. Biomass remains the largest proportion of energy used as primary cooking fuel in rural areas of developing countries [5,6]. "The African continent accounts for about 50% of the solid biofuels consumed worldwide, with 82% of its inhabitants-or around 900 million people-relying on it for heating and cooking.…”