Renewable energy provides an opportunity for Africa’s islands to lessen fuel import bills – and develop solutions with global application.
While each of Africa’s island nations is unique, their small size and relative isolation create some common challenges.
When it comes to generating electricity for island grids, “in general, your cost per unit is extremely high,” says James Ellsmoor, CEO of consulting firm Island Innovation. “The smaller the island, the higher the cost per unit, just because of economies of scale. And so that has a knock-on effect down the whole economy, and it puts island economies as a whole at a real disadvantage.”
African islands are largely reliant on small power stations that burn imported diesel or heavy fuel oil (HFO). Dependence on these facilities renders islands especially vulnerable to fluctuations in international oil prices.
“The cost is very high now,” says José Maria Gomes Lopes, an energy researcher from Cabo Verde, which spends around 7.5% of its GDP importing fuel according to IMF figures. He adds that costs are heightened by the need to redistribute imported fuel around the archipelago. There are no transmission cables between Cabo Verde’s 10 islands, or to the African mainland, meaning the country is forced to maintain multiple small power stations for a total population of just over 500,000.
Burning diesel or HFO has, however, long been the only viable option for isolated islands where the smallness of the market makes the upfront cost of more modern methods of power generation commercially unviable.
Yet a growing range of renewable energy technologies are providing new options for Africa’s islands. An energy revolution could be about to take shape – but, with no two islands sharing identical characteristics, it will be a revolution that takes many different forms.
Continue reading with Eandel
Subscribe to unlock the complete story and receive your subscriber benefits.
