preview

Introduction. Sub-Saharan Africa (Ssa) Holds The Largest

Good Essays

Introduction
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) holds the largest population in the world without electricity; about 70% of the total 1.3billion energy-poor around the world . The energy structure in SSA is challenging and dubbed by possessing inadequate capacity and unreliable means with high costs. In addition, the most expensive prices for access to electricity are paid by some of Africa’s poorest. Fortunately, distributed power in Africa does not have any policy regulations or grids to upkeep . Solar energy and biomass are among the most abundant renewable resources for providing energy to rural sub-Saharan Africa. These resources can be harnessed and used effectively with modern technology such as solar PV and biomass gasifiers to produce …show more content…

In Kenya and Tanzania half a million household are serviced by pay as you go solar companies . M-Kopa Solar, one of the leaders in this space based in Nigeria, has already brought solar power to over 140,000 African residents and small business owners (approximately 1.12 MW based on 8 W average system size) .
Although solar panels and kits are easily transported and require little to no maintenance, solar does not solve all of Africa’s problems. Current systems can only light up small shops and service small businesses such as salons. Several firms are working on scaling them up to provide power to small factories and farms. But even so, small scale solar power is not sufficient when it comes to big industries . Small home solar system (usually comprising of 1or 2 panels) do not provide sufficient power for large loads, such as hospitals. Additionally, although it is very sunny, irradiance still varies throughout the day and need for batteries which add large costs.
Biomass Energy
Africa is rich in vegetation with tropical forest and woodlands covering 60% of the continent. In several countries of Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), biomass energy accounts for 70–90 percent of primary energy supply. The consumption of wood is the predominant sour¬ce of biomass energy, and represents the largest single sour¬ce of energy for most families in SSA . In rural areas, wood is collected “free” from nearby forests. Forests are the main sources of wood for energy production .

Get Access