One of the major problems many African nations are facing is: generating energy. This problem has increasingly worsened, ultimately forcing some countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, and many others in West Africa to step up emergency measures to deal with the problem.
However, generating clean and harmless energy to power households and industries has become a global problem. As some powerful countries, including the United States, want to move away from the fossil fuels that damage our atmosphere, it has opened a new opportunity for inventors and investors to explore the area of renewable energy.
In South Africa, the Jasper solar farm, which is located near the semi-desert area of Kimberley, the capital of the Northern Cape Province, has been completed. It is said, Jasper is Africa’s largest solar power project. The solar farm was completed in October, 2014.
According to engineers, the now fully operational farm, has a capacity of 96 megawatts and will produce about 180,000 megawatt-hours of clean energy annually for South African residents. This is enough to power up to 80,000 homes. The project covers a surface area equivalent to 205 football pitches, according to the contractors.
The project was said to have been developed by three powerful clean energy consortiums in South Africa—SolarReserve, the Kensani Group and Intikon Energy—and its completion has boosted the image of the companies in the clean energy program of the country.
According to MyAfricaNow, the Japser green energy project will not stay Africa’s biggest renewable energy facility for long. It is said, in the same area, near the 75-megawatt Lesedi project that was completed in May 2014, plans are far advanced to construct a new 100-megawatt concentrated solar thermal power project, called the Redstone project.
The Jasper project is also said to have generated about 1 million man-hours of paid work during construction, peaking at over 800 on-site construction jobs. 45% of the total project value was also said to have been spent on local content to help increase the positive economic impact on the area. This created lots of employment opportunities for those living in close proximity to the site.
It is said the finance for these clean energy projects comes from local and international sources, including Google, the Public Investment Corporation, Intikon Energy, Kensani Capital Investments, the PEACE Humansrus Community Trust, SolarReserve and with support from Rand Merchant Bank.
South Africa, like other African nations, is facing challenges in its energy sector. The nation, therefore, has a goal of reaching 18 gigawatts of renewable clean energy by 2030. The country has an abundance of sunlight throughout the year.
Renewable energy resources exist over wide geographical areas, in contrast to other energy sources, which are concentrated in a limited number of countries. Rapid deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency is resulting in significant energy security, climate change mitigation, and economic benefits. Clean energy activists have said international public opinion surveys have indicated that there is strong public support for promoting renewable sources such as solar power and wind power. In Africa, the sun and wind are available almost all year round, and many have urged various governments on the continent to take advantage and invest heavily in the emerging alternative energy sources.
Based on REN21’s 2014 report, renewable energy contributed some 19 percent to the global energy consumption, and 22 percent to the world’s electricity generation in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
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