Article Information

• Posted By : Juliet Adei
• Posted On : Jan 13, 2017
• Views : 517
• Likes : 4
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• Category : Burning issues
• Description : Africa, the continent with the most natural resources has over the years experienced severe power instability in many countries. As the populations grow more and more power supply is needed to cater to the people. This has brought about a heavy burden on the power plants of many states in Africa. The continent has seen more power rationings in the past 15 years than ever before. The main sources of electricity in most African countries is hydropower from dams. With the change in weather patterns globally the rainfall is no longer as constant as it used to be. This has spiked the need for solar power across the continent.  Africa has a long duration of sunshine, minus the tropical rainforests. The continent has clear skies and a lot of deserts like the Sahara and Kalahari. The amount of sunshine most parts of Africa receives is ample with majority of the year being sunny. All of these are the cause of the large solar potential of Africa. Most countries have both the sunshine and the space to set up solar energy systems making it the most sun rich continent in the world. Some have taken the lead with hopes that the rest will follow.High cost of hydro power in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya have made solar power an inevitable option. In most of these countries traffic lights and other infrastructure use solar power. Domestic house holds and private institutions like school, hospitals and clinics are slowly using solar power for water heating, lighting and other purposes. Even though these plants are not fully sufficient and still depend on the national grid it’s a giant leap for Africa towards sustainable energy.The immense benefit of solar power is not unknown to the continent. The major reason why solar panels are not all over Africa is the cost of setting them up and also the lack of technical know how. Solar technicians are not very common in many African countries. The limited popularity of solar power companies makes it even more expensive to set up as the materials they need cannot be brought into the countries in large quantities to reduce the price. Many African’s cannot afford the cost of setting up a solar system even though they are fully aware of the benefits. Governments in some countries like Ghana and Kenya are encouraging the solar power implementation by allowing solar panels and other items to be imported into the country tax free. Solar related startups are also awarded loans and grants to scale their businesses.In conclusion, Africa is a beautiful gem with tons of solar potential, the biggest in the world but it needs a few years of dedication to transform its power deficiency around. With the steps some countries are taking this could be achieved sooner than we think.
• Location : Ghana