Cameroon is looking into harnessing power from its ocean currents in order to help increase its electricity generation, hiring MRS Holding Ltd.’s subsidiary MRS Power Cameroon to conduct the feasibility study. The government has set an ambitious target of tripling power generation capacity by 2020 with the majority comprised of hydropower projects.
The only African country that had previously looked into tidal power was South Africa. And most tidal experts agree that Africa does not hold great potential in the sector. At the World Energy Congress in Montreal held in September, CEO and founder of Blue Energy Martin Burger said that tidal power could be compared to offshore wind. While tidal energy is predictable and reliable, currently Scotland is the only country that is making it work with a feed-in tariff to help increase investor appetite. Other countries like New Zealand and Israel have just introduced the technology, but they are still in their development phase. However, in the midterm (five to 10 years), Chile, China, and India will come onboard; and long-term (over 10 years) could see Alaska, Iceland, and New Zealand showing prowess in the sector.
While Africa is seen as under-exploited in many areas, the wind energy sector is one of the leading renewable energies. It is well-advanced compared to other RE sources and has been around for a significant period of time. African countries like Egypt and South Africa are doing well within the wind energy market, but compared to other developed countries, the continent still has a long road ahead.
Siemens’ General Manager of Renewables for the Middle East Adrian Wood told Alternative Energy Africa that before the offshore wind market could get jumpstarted in Africa, its onshore wind needed to increase significantly. However, if comparing tidal power to offshore wind, means that Africa’s tidal potential might also be in question, but its readiness will be the deal breaker.
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