Renewable energy can play a pivotal role in bringing power to people whether in rural or remote areas. It has the potential to assist many African countries and citizens to have access to power which is essential for the reduction of poverty as well as to ensure economic growth.
There are new technologies that contribute to sustainability and a greener way of doing business. Solutions such as micro-grids for rural or remote areas where there are no other alternatives are available in Africa. These solutions address challenges such as climate change as well as access to energy.
IT News Africa spoke to Taru Madangombe, Vice President of Energy in Southern Africa at Schneider Electric revealed some new technological developments in the renewable energy market, how the Internet of Things has impacted the industry as well as the future of renewable energy in Africa amongst other things.
1. What are some of the challenges that the renewable energy sector faces in Africa?
There has been a lot of developments in the renewable energy market, but in Africa, it is still a relatively new concept. If you consider that Europe and the larger parts of Asia have already been adopting this technology for a number of years, it’s understandable that we would still be experiencing some teething problems.
One of the challenges is access to funding. As the concept gains traction, we are already seeing new developments in countries like Morocco and Kenya, but there is still a challenge when it comes to financing.
The biggest trend right now is energy storage. How do you store energy harnessed during the day when most people don’t need it for consumption or for use during peak times which is normally evening and early morning. There are however new developments in the market regarding this, and there is a projection that by 2025 the costs for renewable energy technology will be reduced.
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