Finding sustainable, affordable and reliable energy solutions for Africa.
The African Renewable Energy Dialogue will consist of consultation around different areas of renewable energy promotion that proposes innovative solutions. The institutional, financial, technological, research & development and human resource frameworks will be highlighted, evaluated and taken further. Participants are invited to network, catalyze ideas and share information in a focused manner.
Energy consumption and related CO2 emissions are relatively low in Africa, but at the same time Africa is more exposed to climate change than any other region in the world. Being “one of the most vulnerable continents because of the range of projected impacts, multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity” it is expected to suffer from these consequences most notably. The African continent is already challenged with a high degree of weather variability on an annual and inter-annual basis that naturally provides few resource-based agricultural activities. Hence additional impacts of climate change threaten local livelihoods due to marginal adaptive capacities of rural African communities.
In finding a sustainable, affordable and reliable energy solution to meet its needs, and in order to avoid the high environmental costs of fossil- and nuclear power production, Africa has the opportunity to leapfrog the unsustainable development pathways followed by countries in the global North and power its economies and its societies through renewable energy.
The African Renewable Energy Dialogue aims to build bridges across country borders and strengthen ties among various climate/energy stakeholders by connecting the different silos of thought and action. The meeting aims to concentrate on the evaluation and dissemination of proven models for accelerating renewable energy, with brief introductions and inputs serving as the basis for collaboration to resolve operational issues, barriers and challenges as well as elaboration of sustainable solutions on various levels of implementation. One focus will be on thermal energy applications and the switch to sustainable use of energy for cooking, e.g. electricity generated by renewable energy sources.
Each participant will carry the dialogue home into their constituencies and communities and thus act as multipliers. AREA consists of 1,200 members from 87 countries. This network guarantees a considerable outreach. Our partners each possesses a wide range of contacts, utilizing these channels will ensure a maximum exposure of the African Renewable Energy Dialogue worldwide.
UPDATE
The workshop has taken place and 20 participants from 15 Africa countries joined the dialogue, coming from all five African geographical regions as well as representing all levels of society.
Inputs as basis for deliberation were given on these topics:
Incentive schemes to facilitate inclusive growth and development
Ms. Ntombifuthi Ntuli, Director, Renewable Energy, The Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa
An Energy [R]evolution for South Africa
Ms. Ruth Mhlanga, Climate Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa, South Africa
The Energy and Environment Partnership/ Southern and East Africa
Mr. Ricardo Costa Pereira, Senior Consultant – SE4ALL, Directorate of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy, Mozambique
Increasing access to and enhancing reliability of electricity supply by renewables. Can renewable energy reduce electricity tariffs for the consumer?
Mr. David Jarrett, Renewable Energies Section – Power Systems Development BU, NamPower, Namibia
The Lundazi Green Village Programme
Ms. Ivy Chipasha, Africa Carbon Credit Exchange – ACCE/ Green Knowledge Institute, Zambia
Proposals for a renewable energy driven society in Sierra Leone
Hon. Bai Kurr Kanagbaro Sanka III, Member of the Sierra Leone Parliament/ Member of the Pan-African Parliament
Cape Verde 100% renewable energy for 2020 – a strategic vision for the future
Mr. Abraão Andrade Lopes, Presidente do Instituto de Gestão da Qualidade;
Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Energy, Cape Verde
Experience with the village solar PV mini-grid at Melela-Kololo, Tanzania
Mr. Matthew Matimbwi, Executive Secretary, Tanzania Renewable Energy Association, Tanzania
Appropriate technologies and delivery models to scale the up use of clean lighting & cooking
for poor households in Kenya and Ethiopia
Ms. Rita Effah, Africa Coordinator, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Ethiopia
Community based renewable energy projects and its prospects for poverty alleviation
Mr. Johan Lewin, CEO/Chairman, The Seeland Development Trust, South Africa
Supporting renewable energy production with sound regulatory frameworks; Insights into the Global Energy Transfer Feed-in Tariff (GET FiT) programme
Dr. Benon Mutambi, CEO, Electricity Regulatory Authority, Uganda
Visioning the future energy mix: balancing the sustainability – environmental, social and economic – triangle
Prof. Salah Arafa, School of Sciences and Engineering, American University of Cairo; Member of the Board, Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency, Egypt
The African Renewable Energy Dialogue has been pivotal in building bridges among Paramount Chiefs, Members of Parliament, Ministries, Energy Regulators, Electricity Utilities, Communities, Civil Society Organisations, Social Entrepreneurs and Universities. It also shaped the understanding of one African continent that will only succeed in countering climate change if all countries embark on a sustainable renewable energy development pathway together.
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