The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) Solar World Congress has asked governments to implement more efficient renewable energy policies by unveiling its 2009 resolution at the end of its four-day conference held last week in Johannesburg.
It proposed that local and rural communities be actively involved and benefit directly from renewable energies. “Governments should especially encourage and support community power projects and distributed generation, as well as investment in renewable energy manufacturing facilities in order to foster the local creation of jobs.”
Monica Oliphant, president of ISES, said: “This congress showed that moving towards 100% renewable energy is not only feasible, but essential, and that we have to influence decision-makers to implement this, not only in Africa, but in other countries as well.”
Manager of World Wildlife Fund SA Richard Worthington said, “We’re in a very different mindset in energy than 10 years ago, when lots of people took energy for granted and issues such as energy poverty dominated the debate. Now we’re really reaching a strong, growing consensus that it’s not a question of if, but when we go to renewable, and eventually 100% renewable energy.”
Prof Wikus van Niekerk, director of the Center for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies at Stellenbosch University, said: “You have to create a market, whether totally free or a bit of a manipulated market, but create one and then different technologies and technology suppliers will come play in that market.”
There are many issues that face renewable energy projects in Africa. Regulation is a prime reason, but now many countries have implemented or are looking to implement policies like renewable feed-in tariffs in order to shore up investment. Technology is another factor that plays with the African RE market. Harsher climates mean different models and prototypes in order to survive the tough conditions when trying to harness and convert a resource like wind into energy.