Africa Industrialization Day: Leapfrogging with Sustainable Energy

November 20th is Africa Industrialization Day, but unlike much of the rest of the world, development on this continent is proving to be far more sustainable.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for Africa Industrialization Day, “Approximately 600 million people in Africa still live without access to affordable and sustainable modern energy, and rely mainly on traditional biomass for cooking and heating. [...] As we mark Africa Industrialization Day, let us work together to achieve “Sustainable Energy for All” and advance economic development and productivity throughout Africa.”

Within the framework of the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa (1991-2000), the UN General Assembly, in 1989, proclaimed 20 November Africa Industrialization Day (resolution 44/237). The Day is intended to mobilize the commitment of the international community to the industrialization of Africa.

This year’s commemoration of Africa Industrialization Day shines a spotlight on the challenge of “Sustainable Energy for Accelerated Industrial Development”.

Traditional forms of industrialization have created the environmental crisis we now face. In Africa, the hope is that the region can move right to renewable sources of energy and forego the dirty energy infrastructure that is a defining feature of industrialization in much of the rest of the world.

There is a precedent for this process in mobile phone adoption which in some developing countries has enabled them to skip the stage of copper wire land line telephones altogether.

This process is sometimes referred to as "leapfrogging" a concept which was originally used in the context of economic growth theories and industrial-organization innovation studies. It is based on Joseph Schumpeter's notion of ‘gales of creative destruction’. The hypothesis proposes that companies holding monopolies based on incumbent technologies have less incentive to innovate than potential rivals, and therefore they eventually lose their technological leadership role when new radical technological innovations are adopted by new firms which are ready to take the risks. These radical innovations create a new technological paradigm allowing newcomer companies to leapfrog ahead of leading firms.

Now the concept of leapfrogging is being used in the context of sustainable development for developing countries. This is a theory of development which may accelerate development by skipping inferior, less efficient, more expensive or more polluting technologies and industries and move directly to more advanced ones. It is proposed that through leapfrogging developing countries can avoid environmentally harmful stages of development and forego the environmentally destructive development trajectory of industrialized countries.

The adoption of solar energy technologies in African nations and other developing countries are examples of leapfrogging. This enables developing countries to avoid an energy infrastructure based on fossil fuels. Under such a paradigm developing nations can leapfrog directly into the Solar Age.

Examples of renewable energy projects are underway all over Africa. In the picture located on the top left of this post, solar panels in Liberia are generating energy for a newly renovated local administrative building. These panels were erected by the Government of Liberia with support from the United Nations Mission in Liberia and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Ensuring access to reliable, efficient, affordable energy is a key element in creating decent jobs and increasing productive capacity.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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South Africa and the Rise of Renewable Energy on the Continent

Two of the largest renewable energy projects ever attempted are being built on the African continent. The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors have approved $250 million in funding for the Eskom Renewables Energy Support Project (ERSP) to help implement major solar and wind power projects in South Africa. The new financing complements the US$260 million provided to Eskom to implement the Upington and Sere renewable energy projects included in the $3.75 billion Eskom Investment Support Project approved in April 2010.

South Africa's Power Sector Integrated Resource Plan began in 2010 and by 2030 the country aims to meet 42% of its national demand for power using renewable energy sources.

The Upington Project will be a one hundred megawatt, utility-scale, concentrating solar power plant to be located in Northern Cape province. Emission savings are estimated at about 9-million tons of CO2 equivalent over a 20-year life span.

The construction of the Upington project will create a significant number of jobs. As a whole the solar market has the potential to be a major employer in South Africa. The Spanish PV market created 28,000 jobs between 2001 and 2010 to account for slightly more than 3,000MW of PV. South Africa is planning to build 8,400MW of PV, with another 1,000MW of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. Extrapolating from these numbers the whole solar energy industry in South Africa could provide in excess of 60,000 jobs. The infrastructure required for massive solar parks in the Northern Cape will require infrastructure that could create up to 100,000 jobs.

The Upington project is estimated to cost a total of R150 billion (US21.3 billion) and it is expected to start operating in 2012.

The Sere Project will be a one hundred megawatt wind power project located 300 kilometers (190 mi) north of Cape Town. The project will create at least 140 direct jobs during the construction phase and 10 permanent jobs once the plant is operational. It is targeted to reduce South Africa's CO2 emissions by 5 million tons during its first 20 years. Evaluating and reassessing existing studies in 2003, a South African renewable energy strategy formulation team from the Department of Minerals and Energy estimated the total wind generation potential for the entire nation to be 60 TWh per annum.

The Sere project is estimated to cost R2.689 billion ($375 million)and Eskom has stated that the plant will be commissioned by 2012 and expects the plant to be fully operational by summer 2013.

The Clean Technology Fund is providing the loan for these pioneering and innovative projects which will go to South Africa’s power utility, Eskom. The Clean Technology Fund promotes scaled-up financing for demonstration, deployment and transfer of low-carbon technologies with significant potential for long-term greenhouse gas emissions savings.

These two projects are important not only for South Africa but for the entire continent. They make an important point about the viability of renewable energy in the developing world.

“Africa is rich in sources of renewable energy, and broadening the existing mix to include renewables is essential for sustainable development of the energy sector,” said Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director for Sustainable Development for the Africa Region. “Once implemented, these pioneering energy projects will provide powerful demonstrator effects for the benefit of Africa’s largest economy and beyond.”

The fact that only 31 percent of Africa’s population has access to energy, is both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge comes from meeting the continent's energy needs. The opportunity comes from renewable energy development that skips the industrial world's large scale reliance on energy derived from fossil fuels.

These projects underscore the World Bank’s development strategy for Africa which emphasizes competitiveness and employment by harnessing technology and innovation from the private sector.

“We are very pleased to assist South Africa launch these ambitious flagship renewable energy projects,” said Ruth Kagia, World Bank Country Director for South Africa. “They will help South Africa to fulfill its commitments on lowering emissions while demonstrating the viability of large-scale renewable energy projects undertaken in Africa.”

The South African economy is one of the most carbon-intensive in the world, however, investment in large scale renewable energy projects are helping to position the country as a leader in clean energy.

Renewable energy is not only benefiting South Africa, the development of renewable sources of energy has the potential to transform a continent burdened by poverty.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Lesotho's Renewable Energy Projects One of the Largest in Africa

One of the largest energy projects in Africa is being built in the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho. This renewable energy project will make power from wind and water. The Lesotho highlands power project (LHPP) will cost $15bn (£9bn) and will generate 6,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power and 4,000MW of hydropower.

It will also create 25,000 jobs over 15 years including 1,500 technicians and engineers. This is a major boon for Lesotho, because as one of the world's poorest countries in the world, where nearly half the population struggles to live on less than $1.25 a day.

Lesotho, officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over 30,000 km (11,583 sq mi) in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru.

Lesotho's energy efficiency policies and regulations are contained in the National Initiative for an Energy Efficiency Program in Lesotho's Water Sector: Barrier Analysis Report. Lesotho is focused on energy efficiency through its Energy Management Plan - Lesotho Water Sector.

Lesotho gets it electricity primarily from hydro power and since 2000 it has been able to supply its own power needs. Going forward, Lesotho's large scale renewable energy projects will make the nation a net exporter of energy to South Africa. This project will help to sate South Africa's growing energy appetite and reduce its reliance on coal.

Construction is expected to take between 10 and 15 years. The first phase is a 150-megawatt windfarm, set to start next year. South Africa's Harrison and White Investments and its Chinese technology partner, Ming Yang Wind Power, will build wind turbine components factories in South Africa and Lesotho.

The Lesotho energy projects demonstrate that renewable energy can help wean us off destructive fossil fuels and create employment in some of the most impoverished places on earth.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Norway a Model of Sustainability for the Arab World

We are witnessing profound changes in the Arab world that could give way to a more sustainable world. For a sustainable revolution to take hold the Arab world must become responsible stewards of their natural resources. Norway offers a model of how to put oil and gas reserves to work for a more sustainable future. Since 1996, the Norwegian government has invested over $240 billion of its oil revenues into social welfare initiatives, on the one hand, and renewable energy projects, such as hydro and wind power.

The Arab world also has unlimited renewable power that can be harvested from sunshine. Large scale exploitation of this resource could provide power in the region and in Europe as well.

Exploitation of solar and other renewable projects will not only make the Arab world more sustainable it will also create jobs and provide economic and energy security for decades to come.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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There are early indications that the environment could benefit from the Arab Spring. A $550 Billion plan for the world's most ambitious solar project could be producing energy by 2015.

Paul van Son, the managing director of the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII), told Reuters that the awareness and interest in the project to turn sunshine into energy has grown with the spread of democracy across North African and the Middle East.

"We like the Arab Spring because it has opened up a lot of ideas and generated support for the project," van Son said in a telephone interview. "We're very supportive. The democratic structures fit very well with ours."

Before the Arab Spring, there had long been concerns about the political stability in the region. Deserts are the perfect place for solar projects because they get more energy in six hours than the world's population consumes in a year, DII says.

Fields of mirrors in the desert would gather solar rays from concentrated solar power (CSP) to boil water, turning turbines to electrify a new carbon-free network linking Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Projects like this could help the economy and create jobs in the country and throughout the region, especially for young people. van Son said he hopes Desertec can help bring Mediterranean nations closer together. "I believe large infrastructure projects like this can contribute to stability. It's about the development of new industries in the region, investment, job creation and the transfer of knowledge and know-how," he said.

The first 150 megawatts power plant will be built in Morocco, possibly generating power by 2015 or 2016, with further projects planned in Tunisia and Algeria.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Arab Spring and the Environment

The Arab Spring movement has radically changed the political landscape of the Middle East and North Africa. At this critical juncture many are asking questions about the impact these change will have on environmental issues in the region.

There have been regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya in addition to uprising in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The misuse of natural resources and corruption was one of the factors fueling the uprisings in Arab states.

The Arab world is at a pivotal juncture not only politically but due to the numerous environmental problems that threaten the region. Among the major challenges being faced are water scarcity, land degradation and desertification, inadequate waste management, coastal and marine environment degradation and air pollution. Many Arab states will need to develop ways of decentralizing power to help them use natural resources in a more sustainable manner.

A 2008 report published by authors M.K. Tolba and N.W. Saab, is the first study of the environment to be compiled and authored by independent experts from across the Arab region. It offers an overview of the state of the environment in the Arab world, highlighting environmental challenges, social, political and demographic trends, progress in regional and sub-regional cooperation and recommendations for future action.

The report attempts to address five key questions: 1) how are the environmental conditions in the Arab world changing? 2) what are the causes of environmental deterioration, and how is it linked to human activities and other stresses? 3) why is the environment a significant issue in the Arab world? 4) what is being done about it? How is society responding to the issues through public and private institutions? and 5) are the measures taken to limit environmental degradation and deterioration of ecosystems enough?

The report recommends long-term planning which includes an emphasis on renewable energy. It stresses the importance of simple measures at the local level to ensure more efficient and sound use of resources.

The report reviews issues like integrating the environment into development planning. It deals with specific issues like urbanization, air quality, water resources, marine environment, waste management, aridity drought and desertification.

Two of the most pressing concerns for the region are addressed in chapters on and the impact of climate change on Arab countries and the environmental impact of conflict and wars. Environmental legislation, media, education and financing are also addressed.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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