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Cape Town - Although in global terms South Africa moved belatedly, the country deserves a pat on the back for being the only sub-Saharan country that has formulated a clear alternative energy policy and applied it.
This was agreed by speakers at several meetings at the Power-Gen Africa conference in Cape Town this week.
Other countries on the continent have no clear national policy to encourage, build and bring on stream alternative - renewable - technologies such as wind, solar and biomass.
There are, however, several sometimes ambitious and apparently ad hoc schemes in a number of countries. In many cases, these stumble or are constrained by factors including red tape, political instability and finance.
On the financial front, for example, research analyst Derek Campbell points out that Malawi offers short-term loans - up to three years - at interest rates of 40%.
In what must rank as the understatement of the conference, Peter Ballinger of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the United States responded that such loan conditions “did provide a certain constraint on investment”.
South Africa, the largest producer - and consumer - of electricity on the continent, now produces 3 400 megawatts (MW) of power from renewables, mainly wind and solar, but also some from biomass.
However, it is estimated that the country will need 50 000 MW of new energy within 14 years.
But while South Africa still has 3 million households without electricity, the estimate for sub-Saharan Africa is that between 500 million and 600 million people still have no access.
The main hope for many of them lies in the use of wind, solar, biomass and small hydro schemes.
The US, which moved into this field with Europe many years ago, now has more than 35% of its energy produced by renewables.
-Fin24
This was agreed by speakers at several meetings at the Power-Gen Africa conference in Cape Town this week.
Other countries on the continent have no clear national policy to encourage, build and bring on stream alternative - renewable - technologies such as wind, solar and biomass.
There are, however, several sometimes ambitious and apparently ad hoc schemes in a number of countries. In many cases, these stumble or are constrained by factors including red tape, political instability and finance.
On the financial front, for example, research analyst Derek Campbell points out that Malawi offers short-term loans - up to three years - at interest rates of 40%.
In what must rank as the understatement of the conference, Peter Ballinger of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the United States responded that such loan conditions “did provide a certain constraint on investment”.
South Africa, the largest producer - and consumer - of electricity on the continent, now produces 3 400 megawatts (MW) of power from renewables, mainly wind and solar, but also some from biomass.
However, it is estimated that the country will need 50 000 MW of new energy within 14 years.
But while South Africa still has 3 million households without electricity, the estimate for sub-Saharan Africa is that between 500 million and 600 million people still have no access.
The main hope for many of them lies in the use of wind, solar, biomass and small hydro schemes.
The US, which moved into this field with Europe many years ago, now has more than 35% of its energy produced by renewables.
-Fin24
