( 3 minutes read)
· The UK is drawing up plans to boost its investment in Africa
in clean energy to ensure that the growing energy deficit in the
continent is closed, by generating electricity through alternative
sources of energy.
· Some of the projects selected by the UK for implementation in
the near future include solar farms in Kenya, geothermal power
stations in Ethiopia and clean energy storage across sub-Saharan
Africa.
· These projects will receive funding along with technical help
from leading financial and energy experts, who will work with their
African counterparts.
The UK is drawing up plans to boost its investment in Africa in clean
energy to ensure that the growing energy deficit in the continent is
closed, by generating electricity through alternative sources of
energy. The UK is a world leader in clean energy technologies and 50%
of its energy requirements are met through this source.
Some of the projects selected by the UK for implementation in the near
future include solar farms in Kenya, geothermal power stations in
Ethiopia and clean energy storage across sub-Saharan Africa. These
projects will receive funding along with technical help from leading
financial and energy experts, who will work with their African
counterparts.
It is estimated that the African energy demand would rise by 60% by
2040. Through conventional sources, Africa cannot meet that demand.
Non-conventional sources like wind, solar, geothermal etc should be
tapped to meet the widening gap between demand and supply and to
ensure energy security to the continent, which will have 1.7 billion
people by 2050, an increase from the present population of 1.1
billion. This would provide an opportunity to many countries in the
region to switch over to cleaner technologies to minimize the use of
highly polluting coal based power. It may be recalled that recently
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the 1 billion pounds
‘Ayrton Fund’ for British scientists to help developing technologies
for world-wide use to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and control
global carbon emissions.
The UK funded projects in Africa include energy storage batteries and
hydro-power built in countries such as Botswana and Kenya; a 10
million pounds program to facilitate investment in clean energy
projects; and a modeling tool designed by UK scientists to support the
Nigerian government’s sustainable development plan. Also, British
experts will construct 10,000 low-carbon homes for African, which will
be energy efficient and at the same time low in carbon emissions. The
project would entail a budget of 30 million pounds, which will be
borne by the UK Government and the county’s private sector.
