The Promise Of Solar Power: Africa Favoured By A Great Climate

By Dereck Tafuma 

Globally, renewable forms of energy generation have overtaken traditional fossil fuels in recent months. This is great news for the environment in terms of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Many of the developed countries have made huge investments in the use of more renewable sources of energy.
Africa has the natural advantage of sunshine abundance which places it well on the path to energy abundance from solar power. 

Statistically there's enough energy coming from the sun in one hour to cater for the current energy needs of the entire planet Earth for a whole year. That is a staggering statistic and one that any African country serious about solving domestic and industrial energy requirements should seriously consider. 

So why do we have so much energy poverty despite this amazing statistic? It's an engineering problem and a lot research is being put into improving the capacity of solar panels to convert solar power into usable electricity. Nanotechnology promises to design more efficient solar panels. 

The amount of energy generated by nation states is directly linked to the amount of economic activity taking place. You cannot drive economic growth in a sea of energy poverty. Countries which generate the most energy are also economically vibrant.