Alternative Energy in Africa - Essay Example

Ethical Energy Executive summary Africa has a good amount of new and renewable energy resources waiting to be exploited. Geo thermal energy potential has not been exploited even to a small extent. Immense potential lies in the bio-mass based generation and beg to be used in the sugar industry. Due to lack of initiatives by the local government Renewable Energy Technologies (RET) have not been put to use to the required extent. Renewable Energy Technologies offer plenty of development possibilities to Africa’s power sector. Locally available resources are used for RETs and hence create a ripple effect on the economy. This case analyses the various RETs its advantages and limitations in comparison with conventional power generation methods to the government of Belina and also the best bid the government can give nod to at the moment. However, the case has also made an attempt to suggest future strategies to the government in RETs. 1. Introduction Energy has always been the scarcest of resources. The world countries have always been on the effort of energy generation to suit the ever increasing demand for energy. Though nations have plethora of options available for energy creation, one needs to look at availability of resources with them to produce energy at the most economical way and more necessarily, the eco friendly way. This case analyses the energy options for an African country, Belina more specifically at renewable energy options which is the need of the hour. 1.1 Africa’s energy sector status North Africa is heavily dependent on oil and gas, south Africa is dependent on coal and the rest of sub Saharan African countries are largely reliant on bio mass (Karekezi et. al 2002). Oil rich sub Saharan African countries rely on biomass energy to meet the household energy requirement. South Africa accounts for 45% of total electricity generated in Africa, while the North Africa accounts for 30% and 24% in sub Saharan Africa where 80% of Africa lives. Except South Africa the other parts generate electricity from sources like hydro and oil. As far as Belina is concerned, it is in sub-Saharan Africa and has good natural resources. (Howard 2007) 2. Discussion / Analyses Africa in general is profusely endowed with natural resources. Its potential ranges from hydro to geothermal to solar to wind resources. The energy resources of Africa are still not exploited even to diminutive. The crude oil price is highly volatile and African nations do not have the economic capability to import oil for energy creation. 2.1 Renewable energy technologies Africa’s renewable resources have not been fully exploited especially because of limited policy interest and investment levels. Technical and financial barriers are also reasons for poor participation by investors in RETs. But many African nations including Belina has shown interest in attracting investments in power projects because of its poor exports and ever increasing crude oil barrel price (except for the last 60 days). Poor exports and decreased currency value pushes the economy in deep crisis. The solution lies in improving the performance of the local industries and to improve the local industries power is required. So it justifies the fact, why African nations are getting friendly towards investment in power sector. 2.2 Bio-mass energy The best way to benefit from bio mass energy systems is to have congregation - using biomass as fuel stock and production of ethanol as a substitute for petroleum fuel. Congregation is used by industries such as paper, sugar wood and rice to meet their power needs. It offers substantial scope for power generation with littlie capital investments. Sugar is a major commodity in many African nations, there by present an opportunity for power generation not only for themselves but also for sale to other units through grid and to become better financially. Bio mass energy can be generated on a small scale initially from pooling the required resources and can be gradually increased as the demand go up. Africa provides ample scope for cost effective energy generation through this source. Number of People Relying on Biomass for Cooking and Heating (Millions) 2000 2030 China 706 645 India 585 632 Other Asia 420 456 Sub-Sahara Africa 583 996 Latin America 96 72 Source: (Karekezi and Kithyoma 2008) 2.3 Geo thermal energy Geo thermal is the natural heat from the earth’s interior stored in rocks and water within the earths crust. The main source of this energy is the constant flow of heat from the earth’s bottom to the surface. This energy can be extracted with out much difficulty and is economically viable also. The benefits include zero emissions and limited requirement of land. Table 1: Geothermal Potential of Selected African Countries Country Potential Generation in MW North Africa Algeria 700 Sub Saharan Africa Kenya 3,000 Ethiopia >1,000 Djibouti 230-860 Uganda 450 Tanzania 150 Source: (Karekezi and Kithyoma 2008) 2.4 Hydro power Many African nations now have undertaken feasibility studies for construction of hydro electric dams. Today many eastern and southern African nations are heavily dependent on hydro electric power. Only 7% of Africa’s enormous hydro potential has been harnessed (Karekezi et. al 2003). This method has the advantage of eco friendliness and at a reasonable cost. However, because of some unavoidable problems like silting of dams which reduces electricity generation over time and draught being a common feature in the African continent, many nations have ruled out the possibility of this method. 2.5 Solar energy Direct solar can be broadly be categorized in to solar photovoltaic (pv) technologies, which convert the Sun’s energy in to electrical energy; and solar thermal technologies, which use the suns energy for heating, cooking and drying. As African countries are situated in the equatorial region this method is a considerable option especially when it is proved to be environment friendly. However, the use of solar energy is mainly at the community level and not used for industrialization to a greater extent. Owing to the high initial capital cost of solar power plants and the cost of electricity form such plants; many nations have kept aside solar energy projects (THE HINDU). 2.6 Nuclear energy Nuclear energy generation has its advantages and limitations. Many experts have argued for and against nuclear energy. The nuclear disaster at the Soviet Unions Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 and the near-disaster at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979 are reasons enough to eliminate the option of nuclear power from the list of acceptable non-fossil and carbon energy sources. Since then much effort was not taken in this direction to improve the safety of power generation through this method. Nuclear power generation also results in nuclear waste. Cheap nuclear power has been elusive for a long time now. In contrast, unconventional energy is cheaper and eco friendly. With increase in time and usage the rates of such energy are expected to fall even more with rising economies of scale in sharp contrast to thermal power wherein the plants depreciation costs rises along with the rise in cost of raw materials and other related expenses. The high costs of conventional fossil-fuelled plants would go even higher if their large carbon emissions had to be captured. Many believe that nuclear energy in the drought and disease stuck African continent may further damage the lives of the people. Although the present Bush administration has taken a lot of initiative for nuclear energy programmes in other countries, he also has drawn high criticism for initiating such risky and harmful projects. The incubation time for cancer is five to fifty years following exposure to radiation. It is important to note that children, old people and immuno-compromised individuals are many times more sensitive to the malignant effects of radiation than other people. Its negative impact is far greater in children, old people and immune deficient individuals. African nations are also known for its internal violence and high rebel activity making nuclear energy as an unsafe option. 3. Selecting the best BID Considering the bids that were received by the Belinien government from various firms and selecting the most advantageous bid in terms of cost, efficiency, safety and eco friendliness is a challenging task. So, prioritizing the need at the moment while taking in to account the future becomes imperative. Of all the bids the nuclear energy bids from EUROGEN - international nuclear engineering company may appear attractive at the outset, but after looking at the pros and cons of nuclear power, it does not top the list, more so when ethical issues still remain unaddressed. Bid No 6 of MINIGEN - international nuclear engineering company in UK also suffer the same fate because of reasons already mentioned. As mentioned earlier African nations are not very suitable for wind power generation as most countries are land locked and wind speeds are in consistent for sufficient power generation. Hence Bid No 2: Windiber- experienced European wind engineering company also can not be considered though it satisfies the need of safety and eco friendliness. Bid No 3 RelRose - international engine builder, USA and Bid No 4 of Atishi – conventional oil-fired system, from Japanese conglomerate also are not attractive options as both the options have damaging element on the exchequer in the already weak African economy and definitely not an option in the long run. 3.1 The considerable bid under the present circumstance So under the present circumstances the most comprehensive bid in all respects which has the potential to be considered is Bid No 5 of NATFUEL European consortium developing biomass systems which has the capacity of generating 100MW units, fuelled by fast-growing woody crops from the inland agricultural area inland. This option can be considered even though the unit price is a bit on the higher side considering its employment potential. The primary reason for choosing this bid is because it offers a safe and eco friendly electricity. It also avoids problems to the local government from the local publics if nuclear power projects are installed. Africa has the history of severe retaliation from the local publics if the government takes up any projects which they feel is un- safe for them. The advantages of this system suits Africa more than other methods at the moment. It is also economically viable in the long run if such initiatives are taken consistently. Mauritius is an excellent example of being successful by taking this route. Hence, it adds credibility and enough motivations to opt for this bid. 4. Recommendations Considering the future energy requirement of Africa, depending on one source is not a great idea however good it may be. So the solution lies in using multiple options of energy generation like geothermal, solar, bio-mass and hydro power generation techniques. Geothermal has good potential as the African region has ideal geographical conditions and this need to be exploited even though investment constraints are there. As the population movement increases towards Belina the civilian power requirement will proportionately increase. Many countries around the world have used solar energy for household electrification and irrigational purposes and the government should encourage investments in this area at least to cater the civilian needs. The natural resources of this region have not been fully exploited as investment companies use to fear the policy barriers in Africa. Now that the Belina government is pro active in its investment approach, scope for attracting investments is plenty hence, should be used to optimum. 5. Conclusions After having understood the infrastructural, geographical, economical and political conditions in Africa it gives us a feeling that the government is willing to take steps in attracting foreign direct investments in RETs as it is helpful to them in more than one ways. More progressive steps need to be taken in the area of RETs and conventional methods can be considered only as a last resort. RETs are labour intensive hence would generate employment opportunities even to illiterates. Belina’s uneducated or school educated population would be the biggest beneficiary if such proposals are undertaken rather than conventional methods which benefit only the literates. More than all, RETs offer a safe, clean and eco friendly system of power generation which addresses issues like green house gas emissions and can be advantageous especially when developed nations started carbon trading more seriously. 6. References AFREPREN, 2002, AFREPREN Occasional Paper No.10: Renewable Energy Technologies in Africa, An Energy Training Course Handbook, Nairobi: AFREPREN / FWD BCSE, 2003. Geothermal Market Assessment Report, “The Eastern Africa Market Assessment Acceleration” Geothermal Conference Agenda. Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), Washington, DC. Howard, I., 2007, ‘Energy Consultancy’, Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Resources Database, Leeds: IDEA CETL University of Leeds [Accessed 26th October, 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: Karekezi S., et al, (Eds.) 2002. “Africa: Improving modern energy services for the poor”, Energy Policy Journal – Special Issue, Vol 30, No. 11-12, Elsevier Science Limited, Oxford. Karekezi, et al, 2003. Overcoming the Barriers to the Use of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Systems in the Reforming Power Sector of Eastern Africa - Background Paper for East African Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership Regional Consultation Workshop. 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