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East Africa has among the highest potential for photo voltaic PV on the African continent. A study by IRENA places East Africa forward of different areas on the continent with a possible of 220 petawatt-hours (PWh) each year for photo voltaic PV. Southern Africa has the subsequent highest potential, estimated to be round 160 PWh. The evaluation was primarily based on Geographic Info Programs (GIS) information primarily calculated from renewable vitality useful resource maps, out there meteorological information, and different geographic info together with land cowl, land use, and topographical maps.
To be able to provide you with the closest attainable estimate of the technical potential of huge scale photo voltaic PV, the research says among the common exclusion parameters included:
- Cities and concrete areas
- Protected areas
- Waterbodies and wetlands
- Sloped areas (slopes larger than 45 levels have been excluded)
- Conventional agricultural lands
- Forest areas
Different elements thought of in exclusions are prices to combine the renewable vitality assets to the grid and subsequently, areas which might be additional than 200 km from the closest metropolis, i.e. extraordinarily distant areas that may be related to very excessive transmission prices for big renewable electrical energy methods, have been excluded.
Regardless of all this potential in East Africa, photo voltaic nonetheless contributes lower than 2% of East Africa’s electrical energy combine. Hydro leads the way at about 54% and hydro’s share continues to be rising considerably, adopted by pure fuel at about 14%, then geothermal at about 12%. Hydropower contributes over 80% of the electrical energy technology combine in Ethiopia and Uganda. Ethiopia will quickly have much more hydro with the phased implementation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam which can contribute over 5,000 MW when accomplished. Tanzania can also be including about 2,000 MW with the brand new Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station.
East Africa’s Electrical energy Technology Combine, redrawn from IRENA’s Renewable Power Market Evaluation: Africa and its Areas Report, January 2022
As the main focus shifts to decarbonize international vitality methods, variable renewable vitality sources, corresponding to photo voltaic, are poised to play a key function. Might East Africa’s vital hydropower crops and assets assist drive the adoption of photo voltaic PV? These hydro energy crops may assist stability the variable output of photo voltaic by way of simultaneous ramp-up or reducing hydro energy output in real-time to assist maintain a gradual energy provide to fulfill demand. Nonetheless, several barriers to the adoption of huge scale photo voltaic crops have been recognized and would must be overcome. These embody:
- Low total put in grid capability in most East Africa, which implies a low saturation for intermittent renewables
- Transmission and distribution insufficiency — most international locations have weak, poorly maintained networks, and restricted footprint of T&D networks, which restrict grid flexibility
- Restricted financing
- A number of utilities within the areas are underneath fiscal stress, subsequently not thought of to be creditworthy
- Regulatory deficiencies
A whole lot of markets on the continent are additionally characterised by low or no reserve margins. Because of this these international locations are subsequently pressured to implement load-shedding attributable to insufficient electrical energy technology capability. This lack of reserve margins limits the growth of utility scale solar PV with out vitality storage. The excessive penetration of hydropower in East Africa may assist mitigate this by way of pumped storage and different companies.
Let’s hope we begin to see extra giant scale photo voltaic PV tasks to assist enhance the penetration of photo voltaic within the area in addition to including some extra range to the vitality combine. Local weather change-induced droughts are actually extra frequent, which places a pressure on the grid in the course of the intervals when water ranges are low. Including photo voltaic PV may assist handle essential water assets.
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