Renewable energy, also referred to as ‘alternative energy’, is energy generated from a natural

source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power. Renewable energy
has gained popularity as it does not harm the environment.

The renewable energy market is booming worldwide and is predicted to surpass fossil fuel use,
thanks to such factors as falling prices and the Paris Climate Agreement. It is seen by many as a
route to mitigating climate change, a problem brought on in part, by the widespread use of fossil
fuels such as coal.

1. Solar – Solar energy is a sustainable form of renewable energy from the sun, which can
be used to generate electricity and heat. Electricity is generated using photovoltaic panels.
Solar thermal panels, normally containing a liquid, capture heat from the sun.
2. Wind – Wind energy is harnessed using wind turbines, located on or off shore. Wind
turns the blades of a turbine, which then turn a generator to make electricity. One large
turbine can power roughly 3000 homes.
3. Geothermal – Geothermal energy is captured from shallow ground or hot water and hot
rock found a few miles beneath the Earth’s surface, and even from deeper down from the
extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma. This heat can be used directly
or used to generate electricity.
4. Biomass – Plant and animal matter (biomass) can be burned to create heat or to drive a
turbine to generate electricity.
5. Hydropower – Hydropower is energy harnessed from moving water such as rivers, tides
and waves. Alternatively water is captured in dams and released through a turbine to
generate electricity.

The advantages of renewable energy over fossil fuels

 Greater access – Nearly 600 million people in Africa live without access to electricity.
Sustainable energy such as solar energy provides an opportunity to decentralise energy
production and hasten greater access, by taking it off-grid. Subsidies towards on-grid
sources favour the wealthy and put the rural poor at a disadvantage, who often use a
greater percentage of their incomes on energy access. [5,8]
 Lower barriers to entry – The International Energy Agency has recommended 53% of
energy investment should be on mini-grids and 17% on household level production. Both
require fewer subsidies than utility scale grid electricity. Furthermore, entry level solar
products such as solar lights act as gateways to mid range products e.g. solar home
systems and larger solar roofs. [8]
 Climate change – Fossil fuels generate carbon dioxide emissions which creates climate
change, but renewable energy is carbon neutral. Black carbon, which is emitted when
kerosene is burned in small lamps across Africa, is known to be a very powerful absorber
of sunlight, and also contributes to global warming. One kilogram of black carbon
produces as much atmospheric warming in a month as 700 kilograms of carbon dioxide
does over 100 years. It is estimated that 7-9% of kerosene lamp emissions are black
 carbon compared to around 0.001% in a diesel engine. Solar lights offer zero emissions,
making them a climate friendly alternative. [9,10]
 Pollution and safety – The smoke and particulates released by burning fossil fuels,
especially kerosene, along with a higher risk of fires, make them a general health hazard.
[11]
 Health and economic advantages – Air and water pollution resulting from fossil fuel
use is associated with cancers and heart attacks, as well as brain and lung damage. In
contrast, renewable energy use has resulted in lower premature deaths and less lost
productivity related to illness, it’s also helped reduce health care costs. Fossil fuel use has
been estimated to cost the US economy between $361.7 and $886.5 billion because of its
effects on health [12].
 Job creation – Compared to fossil fuels, renewable energy production creates more jobs
as production requires more labour[11]. A 2009 study by the Union of Concerned
Scientists found that having 25% of total electricity output produced by renewable
energy would create 3 times as many jobs as an equivalent amount of output from fossil
fuels [13].

References

1. Arthur Neslen (2016), Renewable energy smashes global records in 2015, report
shows; The Guardian, London.
2. International Renewable Energy Agency (2012). Prospects for the African Power Sector
– Scenarios and Strategies for Africa Project, page 14.
3. Hermann, S., et al. (2011), GIS Mapping of Africa’s renewable energy resource
potentials – An IRENA-KTH initiative, KTH, Division of Energy Systems Analysis,
Working paper, Stockholm.
4. Overseas Development Institute (2016). Accelerating access to electricity in Africa with
off-grid solar, page 4.
5. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (2017). Renewables 2017 Global
Status Report, pages 20, 56, 83, 89.
6. inafrica24.com (2017), The rise of renewable energy across Africa
7. Emily Gosden (2016), Global renewable power capacity overtakes coal as 500,000 solar
panels installed every day, The Telegraph, London.
8. SolarAid (2015) Eradicating the Kerosene Lamp Promoting Distributed Renewables
Decarbonising Development, 3, Presentation, London
9. Jacobson, Lam, Bond and Hultman (2013) Black Carbon and Kerosene Lighting: An
Opportunity for Rapid Action on Climate, page 3.
10. Sarah Yang (2012) Let there be clean light: Kerosene lamps spew black carbon, should
be replaced.
11. Eckley, L., Harrison, R., Whelan. G., and Timpson., H (2014) The social value of solar
lights in Africa to replace the use of kerosene Scoping report, pages 4-14, Centre for
Public Health, Liverpool
12. Union of Concerned Scientists (2013), Benefits of Renewable Energy Use, Cambridge,
Massachussetts.
13. Union of Concerned Scientists (2009). Clean Energy, Green Jobs, page 1. Cambridge,
Massachussetts.