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