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Energy Solutions for Uganda

Uganda clearly needs power, but questions remain as to whether a large dam – and particularly a dam at the Bujagali site – is the most appropriate approach for the poor, indebted nation. Although less than 10% of the Ugandan population has access to electricity, most citizens could not afford Bujagali"s costly power even if they were offered free connections to the national grid. In addition, climate change is expected to make large hydro more risky in East Africa, and Uganda is already dependent on two large dams for meeting nearly all of its energy needs.

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Africa's Energy Future Heading Down a Dark Tunnel

Mon, 09/26/2011 - 11:02am
By: 
Terri Hathaway

 (A guest blog by our former Africa program director)

Cahora Bassa Dam bypasses villages under its power lines

Cahora Bassa Dam bypasses villages under its power lines

The Conference of Energy Ministers in Africa – a two-year old institution recognized by the African Union and donors as the official voice of Africa's energy future – recently met for the second time and released a new declaration that can fairly be called double-speak. The first half of the declaration is so great, it could have been written by a Nelson Mandela of energy. It outlines the brutal reality of Africa's energy poverty and the goals for universal access to sustainable energy across Africa by 2030.

A Green Energy Plan for Mozambique

Cahora Bassa power lines bypass Zambezi villagers (Lori Pottinger)

Cahora Bassa power lines bypass Zambezi villagers (Lori Pottinger)

Mozambique has among the lowest uses of electricity in the world. Yet virtually all of the electricity it does produce from Cahora Bassa Dam on the Zambezi is shipped to its wealthy neighbor, South Africa. As the government prepares to build another costly large dam on the Zambezi that will also power South Africa rather than homes and businesses in Mozambique, a new report lays out a saner plan for developing renewable energy sources across the nation that would share the energy wealth more equitably; diversify the national electricity grid to help the nation adapt to climate change (which is expected to significantly affect large hydro), and build a clean energy sector that would also spare the Zambezi.

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The Right Climate for Green Energy in Africa

Mon, 10/26/2009 - 9:54am

Cahora Bassa power lines bypass Zambezi villagers (Lori Pottinger)

Cahora Bassa power lines bypass Zambezi villagers (Lori Pottinger)

The world is greening its electricity supply at a fast (if not fast enough) pace. Germany is slapping solar on every building it can, Spain is becoming a world leader in big concentrating solar plants, and the US stimulus package includes a plateload of subsidies for renewables. At the same time, the price of solar technologies have fallen 35% since last year, and new breakthroughs in storing energy from the sun and wind appear to be on the cusp.

Debate Over Dams on Africa’s Zambezi River

By: 
Pete Browne

Originally published in Green Inc. (New York Times energy blog)

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Clean Energy for Ethiopians, Not Damnation of River Dwellers

Fri, 04/03/2009 - 1:03pm

With all the controversy over Ethiopia’s Gibe 3 Dam – which has stirred up negative coverage from the BBC to the East African Standard – it’s easy to forget that a greener energy future for Ethiopia is possible, and that some positive steps are being taken to get there.

Ethiopia is rich in clean renewable resources – some of the best on the continent. Developing its abundance of geothermal, wind and solar reserves could make it a green-energy leader among African nations, rather than the dam-nation it is fast becoming.

Rethinking Africa's Solar Market

Mark Hankins

A sea change is needed to get solar power widely distributed in Africa. An article by a solar expert in Kenya, from World Rivers Review, December 2006.

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