- The new study indicates that Africa’s wind energy potential is higher in the north (Egypt, Morocco) at around 18,000 GW.
- Africa has 9 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind energy but has the potential to produce around 33,000 GW.
The Africa director of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Wangari Muchiri, said Africa is utilising less than one per cent of its wind power potential. She described this amount as “very, very, very little”. A new report released at Windaba 2023 this week shows that the continent has 9 GW of installed wind energy but has the potential to produce around 33,000 GW. The study was limited to wind farms bigger than 1 megawatt (MW).
The GWEC director noted that there are 223 wind projects currently in Africa that have either been announced, under construction or installed. The main markets for wind energy in Africa are South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, with new markets such as Senegal, Djibouti and Nigeria also starting to roll out. The new study indicates that Africa’s wind energy potential is higher in the north (Egypt, Morocco) at around 18,000 GW. Muchiri noted that Southern Africa has the least potential at a mere 891 MW, even though it currently has the most installed wind energy in Africa.
The GWEC report showed South Africa has nearly 3.7 GW of installed wind energy, with Egypt at number three. This potential is the reason Egypt has announced large-scale wind projects, often measured in GW rather than MW. Muchiri says it appears as if wind power is starting to make a comeback following a project lull during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she said this is still very small compared to what it could be on the continent.
The GWEC report also reveals that Siemens Gamesa has a 48 per cent share of the African wind power market, outgunning every other wind turbine competitor. However, according to Muchiri, China’s Goldwind, currently at a 2 per cent market share, is expected to gain ground rapidly, challenging Europe’s dominance.
She added, “GWEC’s manufacturing members have indicated that they consistently require 1 GW of wind power installations yearly to consider manufacturing in Africa, most likely of turbine blades and towers. The report highlights that wind power has provided energy to 19 million African households to date, while it has also secured $ 15.2 billion in investment and abated 24.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide.”
Muchiri notes that the current drivers of wind power are the need for additional power, providing grid stability as a secondary or tertiary energy source, moving away from fossil fuels, and providing energy to captive, localised projects and installations, such as mines.