adminRenewable energy sources such as hydroelectric and wind power are due to become an increasingly important part of the energy mix as the world wakes up to the facts about climate change and one of its major causes — the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. In fact, according to a recent report released by the International Energy Agency, renewable energy will make up almost half of sub-Saharan Africa’s power-generation growth by 2040. Africans currently consume only one quarter of the global average energy per capita, using a mix of hydropower, fossil fuels and biomass. However, with the growth of African economies and the subsequent socioeconomic development, the demand for reliable and sustainable energy has reached unprecedented levels.
The potential for renewable energy in Africa — notably hydropower, solar and wind power — is substantial.
What is more, the African Union has endorsed the aims of the UN’s Programme of Sustainable Energy Access for All, which includes doubling the global share of renewable energy by 2030.
Further afield, US President Barack Obama took a major step forward in this regard in June 2014 when, at his direction, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Clean Power Plan. This, for the first time, cuts carbon pollution from existing power plants, the single largest source of carbon pollution in the US. Though the final standards will only be set in June 2015, after public hearings and feedback on its proposals, the EPA says, as it stands, the rule would achieve a nationwide reduction of about 30% in carbon dioxide emission from the power sector by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.
The EPA says the proposal will “protect public health, move the US toward a cleaner environment and fight climate change while supplying Americans with reliable and affordable power”. It foresees climate and public health benefits of up to US$93bn by 2030, as a result of the significant reductions in the harmful carbon and other air pollution to which the rule would lead.
Closer to home, the shortages of coal-fired electricity in SA have highlighted the need for renewable energy and the environmental benefits of renewable energy are obvious. Anyone who has travelled in Mpumalanga will attest to the poor air quality in certain areas due to the presence of several large power stations and industrial complexes. – Business Day.
Online Reporter