Africa is a widely known continent due to the presence of abundant resources and huge potential. It has an enormous renewable energy capacity hence its name as the renewable energy power house (learn more).
In a review released by the World Economic Forum, Africa has enough wind to power itself 250 times over. It has the prospect to generate 90 times the wind power currently generated by the entire world.
Africa has an approximately unlimited potential of solar capacity (10 TW), plentiful hydro (350 GW), and geothermal energy sources (15 GW). The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reckons that RE capacity in Africa could reach 310 GW by 2050, which could place the continent at the frontline of renewable energy generation globally.
For instance, Algeria’s wind potential alone is 11 times the world’s current capacity. Moreover, in some regions in the continent, the wind speed is recorded to be faster than 8.5 meters per second, making it advantageous for wind farms.
However, despite this significant potential, Africa accounts for less than 1 per cent of the world’s installed capacity. Analysing wind markets in the region, South Africa comes first, having a total of 515MW wind capacity as of 2020. Senegal is next in line with 103MW installed wind capacity, followed by Morocco (92MW), Iran (45MW) and Egypt (15MW).
For the continent to assume the title (Renewable Energy Power House), it needs to increase green energy funding and establish policy frameworks that attract investment and improve links to power lines.