energy transition

Ghana’s decades-old ambition to build an integrated aluminium industry faces a new hurdle: the clean energy transition

By Theophilus Acheampong, University of Aberdeen and Matthew Tyce, King's College London It has been more than 60 years since Ghana’s first post-independence leader Kwame Nkrumah first mooted the idea that Ghana should produce aluminium from the country’s ample supply of bauxite. Under the Volta River Project, Nkrumah’s vision was to construct a dam on Ghana’s Volta River to provide dedicated electricity to a newly built smelter. […]

26 March, 2024

Environment

76% of Africa’s energy could come from renewable sources by 2040: here’s how

By Christiane Zarfl, University of Tübingen and Rebecca Peters, University of Tübingen Over half of Africa’s people – about 600 million – lack access to even the bare minimum of electricity. The tough question to answer is how access can be extended without adding to global warming by relying on fossil fuels. We – a team from Rwanda and Germany who work in the field of renewable […]

19 March, 2024

Africa

Special Economic Zones are propelling Africa’s green hydrogen drive

By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency When Egypt, a prominent player in green hydrogen development in Africa, recently announced seven new upcoming projects worth US$40 billion to be rolled out over the next decade, it noted that the projects would be positioned in one location: a special economic zone (SEZ). The new projects announced by Egypt's cabinet in February, together with ongoing developments not only in […]

11 March, 2024

South Africa

Corruption and clean energy in South Africa: economic model shows trust in government is linked to takeup of renewables

By Roula Inglesi-Lotz, University of Pretoria South Africa relies heavily on energy from coal-fired power stations, which emit large quantities of carbon. But making the transition to greater use of renewable energies, such as solar, is being hampered by a number of factors. Chief among them is corruption, which is affecting the quality of institutions. In a recent paper I set out how perceptions of corruption in […]

19 February, 2024

Africa

Africa’s battery manufacturing activity is charging ahead

By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency Africa is leading a homegrown revolution in battery manufacturing, leveraging its abundant green mineral resources and clean energy to feed surging global demand for clean, green, renewable energy storage. Strategic partnerships between countries and investment partners are gaining momentum, aiming to transform the continent, currently a net importer of batteries, into a self-sufficient region capable of meeting the growing battery storage demand […]

31 January, 2024