Renewable Energy Africa Leading the Way

how many people hear

about anything online today

how many people are currently working

or studying online

how many of you rely on your cell phones

daily

now tell me how would you feel when your

phone runs out of battery

without being able to recharge it

immediately

let me guess it might feel as though a

piece of you is missing

and that you are disconnected from the

world

you know earlier this year i flew back

to korea after spending few weeks abroad

and i had to get quarantined for two

weeks in my apartment

and given that i live alone i had to

rely on the internet

for everything for grocery shopping

work entertainment everything

and it was very convenient but looking

back

and thinking about that moment i

seriously wonder how

my life would have been during this

quarantine without electricity

i also wonder how the whole world will

do without electricity

especially in a time like this where the

majority of countries and people

live in confinement if you think about

it

every day we are surrounded by the most

important innovation

of all times it is true that mankind

lived for centuries without electricity

before discovering it

but in what conditions and even though

we survived it back then

the chances for the human race thriving

without energy

are highly unlikely electricity boosted

every

industry that disrupted our way of

living

without it there will be no technology

no internet and no factories just to

name a few

have you ever heard about south korea’s

journey to success

i mean a country that went from

struggling with the most basic human

needs back in the 60s after the war

with almost no clean water and food

crumbling infrastructures poor education

and healthcare system to becoming one of

the most developed

and industrialized nations today even

called

world most connected country

south korea went from receiving

international aid

to now giving it they became a

technology powerhouse

that is exporting various type of

products and services

to the whole world such an incredible

leap

was only made possible with a nationwide

energy coverage

access to energy played a great role in

south korea’s

journey to development and while

electricity

is omnipresent in most societies today

the type of energy we are using is

harming the environment

fossil fuel power plants like coal and

natural gas

are generating a considerable amount of

carbon emission

and greenhouse gas to such an extent

that the world leading nations

are now adopting a new energy strategy

one that decreases fossil fuel power

plants and give room

to more green energy today’s global

warming emergency

is not a natural disaster it is a

human-made disaster

and the effects are so subtle and

imperceptible that

most people would not realize their

lives are being disrupted

until we reach the point of no return

meaning irreversible climate

destabilization

it will be the greatest disruptor of

normal life we have ever known

exceeding even our great world wars and

pandemics

then what are we waiting for you may

wonder

why not immediately change all harming

energy sources

you know while developed countries have

it in abundance

it is very important to mention that

these nations rely on fossil

fuel power plants to generate energy and

these power plants

present a great resistance to renewable

energy adoption

this resistance comes in the form of

ongoing relationships

contracts and agreements ranging from 20

years

to 30 years or more and once entered

these contracts and agreements are

legally binding

between governments and power plant

operators

becoming a great constraint to the

acceleration of renewable energy

this resistance also hinders the growth

of renewable energy companies

in most countries with only a small

piece

of the energy industry market share

these companies often end up conducting

more research and development than

actually building power plants

and while developed countries consume

the most energy around the world

achieving the net zero carbon emission

mark

will take them a very long time for

illustration

it will take austria

all the way to 2040 to reach the net

zero carbon emission mark

followed by japan korea

canada the us and other european

countries

in 2050 and then later on

by brazil and china in 2016.

so if and only if

there was a place that didn’t have

resistance towards renewable energy

implementation on a large scale that

place

will be an el dorado now let me tell you

about a distant place

a place called africa the place i grew

up in

where i studied and sometimes

with lamps and candle lights at night

a place where many students are forced

to go to gas stations at night in order

to study

due to the lack of electricity and while

other students are told to listen to

their classes

on the radio station during this

pandemic

a place where energy is so scarce

and the demand is ever increasing that

reportedly

590 million people didn’t have

electricity last year

and to a certain degree a place where

many encountered issues can be tied to

the lack of electricity

but let me tell you this africa

will have no resistance to renewable

energy adoption

it is very simple with the lack of

energy

comes the lack of resistance and in the

grand scheme of things

the lack of energy could be the very

opportunity needed

to solve an even bigger and broader

issue

global warming because

and as opposed to developed countries

africa as a continent

doesn’t have a considerable amount of

fossil fuel power plants

to resist an immediate transition

towards renewable energy

the lack of electricity will prompt

africa

to not only welcome renewable energy

instead of resisting it

but offer an almost clean slate for its

wide implementation

and as a matter of fact africa could

become

the first continent on the face of earth

to be exclusively powered by renewable

energy

and by the same token the first to ever

reach the net carbon zero emission mark

now imagine this imagine lighting africa

with renewable energy sources alone

and generating power on a whole

continent with almost no carbon emission

this alone will balance the amount of

pollution of the environment

and gradually decrease global warming

for the time being

as other countries of the world catch up

hence

africa leading the way and such an

achievement

will result in improved public health

with a decrease of neurological damages

and cancer all linked to a certain

degree to air

and water pollution it will also bring

great economic benefits

that can translate to stable and cheaper

energy costs

by creating more jobs and most

importantly

contribute to a safer and viable planet

for generations to come the world should

come as one

if we want to win this battle and if

international cooperation is required

for such a pilot project

in africa it is very important to

mention though

that this is neither a call for charity

nor some type of experiment in africa

this is rather an opportunity for

renewable energy players all around the

world

those that despite their cutting edge

technologies and expertise

are feeling held back in their current

markets and countries

due to the resistance towards renewable

energy to come

implement develop and improve their

solutions in africa

and doing so these companies could build

their portfolios

and get proven track records on the one

hand make profit

and contribute to the development of a

whole continent while saving the world

on the other hand i have a vision where

every african has access to clean energy

and to that vision i say yes we can

because more than just a minefield

waiting to be exploited

or a great safari destination africa

must be treated as a beacon of hope

a healing platform for the whole world

for

the beginning of saving the world and

our climate

might just start from africa thank you