The African continent is famous for its abundant renewable energy resources such as solar energy and wind energy. The vast sunshine area of the Sahara Desert provides unique conditions for the development of photovoltaic energy, while Africa's long coastline provides an ideal place for offshore wind energy development. These natural resource endowments provide a solid foundation for Africa to achieve green electricity solutions.
Coal, oil and gas resources in Africa are mainly concentrated in a few countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, Angola, etc., while most countries are heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels. In addition, due to the lagging of their own refining industry capacity, the refined oil of major oil-producing countries such as Nigeria and Angola is also highly dependent on imports, which has caused most African countries to bear huge pressure on traditional energy costs. In 2022, the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the loose monetary policy of Western countries caused the international traditional energy prices to soar, which posed a serious impact on the economic development of most African countries.
Correspondingly, the cost of new energy power generation in Africa is showing a continuous downward trend. In some countries and regions, the cost of new energy power generation is lower than that of traditional energy power generation, which undoubtedly indicates that the cost of new energy power generation will further decline significantly in the future. According to the latest "Africa Energy Outlook 2022" report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2030, the cost of photovoltaic electricity in Africa is expected to drop to between $0.018/kWh and $0.049/kWh, which will be significantly lower than the current electricity cost and is expected to be lower than the cost of wind power or natural gas power generation. For some African countries with unstable and insufficient power supply, enterprises temporarily use diesel generators to generate electricity, with a cost of up to $1/kWh. The widespread application of new energy is not only economically feasible, but also more effectively avoids the impact of international energy price fluctuations on the African economy compared to traditional energy, and provides more sustainable, reliable and safe support for social and economic development.
At present, some African villages have successfully established photovoltaic power generation systems, enabling local residents to use electric lights for reading at night, use electricity for cooking and heating, and even health clinics can use simple medical appliances to provide care for patients. The implementation of these projects has not only significantly improved the quality of life of local residents, but also greatly promoted the development of local economy and society.
As one of the successful cases, the Mali Solar Demonstration Village Project, undertaken by China Geo-Engineering Group Co., Ltd., installed 1,195 off-grid solar household systems, 200 solar street light systems, 17 solar water pump systems and 2 concentrated solar power supply systems in Mali's Konubra Village and Kalang Village, providing clean and reliable electricity supply for tens of thousands of local residents.
In addition, in Kenya, the Garissa photovoltaic power station built by Chinese companies has become the largest photovoltaic power station in East Africa. The installed capacity of the power station reaches 54.66 megawatts, which can meet the electricity needs of 70,000 households with a total of more than 380,000 people. At present, the power station has been successfully connected to the Kenyan national power grid, playing an important role in improving the production and living conditions of people in the northern part of the country.
Hannington Goch, an expert from the Kenya Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Company, said that stable power supply and low-cost electricity have provided important support for the development of Garissa and other regions, promoted the development of industry and commerce, and created more employment opportunities for local people. The small restaurant run by local resident Elizabeth Waniku also benefited from the stable power supply, which extended the business hours and increased income.
At present, there are more than 100 green energy projects under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which has injected vitality into Africa's green transformation. Zimbabwean economist Briance Mushemwa pointed out that Africa has benefited greatly from China's green energy industry, especially those green energy products with reasonable prices and high quality, such as solar panels and batteries.
United Nations Environment Program official Roda Wajira said that cooperation with China enables African countries to obtain advanced technology and support, which is crucial to the success of energy transformation. At the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, China and Africa further promoted the promotion of small-scale innovative clean energy projects, focusing on small and medium-sized solar projects in underdeveloped areas of Africa.
Marco Lambertini, former director general of the World Wildlife Fund, believes that small-scale infrastructure such as microgrids can become a reasonable energy solution for rural areas in Africa and many other remote areas in the world.
Yang Baorong, director and researcher of the Economic Research Office of the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China has provided Africa with high-quality and low-cost green energy technologies and products, making them affordable for more African people. China-Africa green energy cooperation will help African countries transform their huge resource potential into real economic growth. He stressed that China's industrial advantages and willingness to cooperate in the new energy industry will further enhance Africa's development level in this field. China and Africa will jointly overcome the challenges of climate change and move towards a cleaner, sustainable and prosperous future.