insert_link Environment Electricity from farm waste: how biogas could help Malawians with no power By Ehiaze Ehimen, Atlantic Technological University and Thomas Robin, Atlantic Technological University In sub-Saharan Africa, over 600 million people (more than 50% of the population) are without access to electricity. Malawi has one of the world’s lowest electricity access rates – just 14.1% of the total population have access to the main grid. In rural areas, the electrification access rate is even lower, estimated at 5.6% […] todayMay 2, 2024 37
insert_link Business / Economics German and Namibian delegates discuss second hydrogen plant with President Nangolo Mbumba Special Envoy for German-Namibian climate and energy relations, Rainer Baake, and Presidential Advisor and Hydrogen Commissioner, James Mnyupe, have visited President Nangolo Mbumba at State House this morning to discuss the possibility of establishing another hydrogen plant in Opuwo following a HyIron tour. Here’s Baake. James Mnyupe says that the government has identified the area's potential for hydroelectric facilities. todayApril 24, 2024 31
insert_link South Africa South Africa’s electricity crisis: a series of failures over 30 years have left a dim legacy By Mark Swilling, Stellenbosch University In 1994, apartheid ended and the African National Congress (ANC) won South Africa’s first ever democratic elections, promising “Electricity for All” as part of its Reconstruction and Development Programme. Back then only 36% of all South Africans had electricity in their homes. The development programme promised to double that number by electrifying an additional 2.5 million homes by 2000. This seemed […] todayApril 19, 2024 19
insert_link Africa El Niño drought leaves Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba only 13% full: a disaster for people and wildlife By Joshua Matanzima, The University of Queensland Water levels at Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe have dropped dramatically because of the latest El Niño drought. The country’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has declared a national disaster. Historian and social scientist Joshua Matanzima grew up at Lake Kariba and has spent the past 10 years researching socioeconomic life there. He discusses the impact of the latest drought on the people of […] todayApril 15, 2024 33
insert_link Africa Why is Ghana so hot this year? An expert explains By Yaw Agyeman Boafo, University of Ghana Ghana’s meteorological agency and the state’s health service have issued warnings about a period of very high temperatures expected in the first half of 2024 around the country. Ghana’s experience is part of a global phenomenon: record temperatures were recorded in 2023. Yaw Agyeman Boafo, the programmes coordinator and a senior research fellow at the University of Ghana’s Centre for […] todayApril 8, 2024 36
Africa Wind energy to help clean South Africa’s dirty carbon “hotspot”. By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Private wind energy projects for commercial and industrial purposes are ramping up the uptake of wind energy in South Africa while complementing clean energy's solar dominance to provide power for industries. Construction recently commenced on three wind sites to power Sasol’s Secunda industrial complex in Mpumalanga. The project is led by a consortium that includes Italian renewable energy developer Enel Green […] todayApril 2, 2024 16
insert_link Business / Economics South Africa’s electricity crisis: what political parties say in their election manifestos about solving it By Hartmut Winkler, University of Johannesburg South Africa is in the middle of a deep electricity crisis. In 2023 the public, many of whom are voters, experienced the worst loadshedding to date, losing power for an average of five hours a day. The power shortages were largely due to excessive breakdowns in the country’s coal power plant fleet, which generates over 80% of South Africa’s electricity, combined […] todayMarch 28, 2024 18
insert_link Business / Economics Ohlthaver & List Group begins N$350m solar project in Germany The Ohlthaver and List Group has started construction of a Philippsee floating photovoltaic power plant in Bad Schönborn, Germany. With an investment value of approximately N$350 million, the solar park will consist of over 27,000 PV panels and cover more than eight hectares of water surface area. Here is the Executive Chairperson of the Ohlthaver & List Group, Sven Thieme. todayMarch 27, 2024 103
insert_link 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 […] todayMarch 19, 2024 46