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WEBINAR: Unlocking the potential of solar energy in Africa

by | Apr 13, 2023 | Events, Upcoming Events

Date: Wed 26th April, 11:00-12:00 GMT

Africa has one of the world’s highest solar energy potential which that plays a major role in energy transition and energy access1. This provides a  great opportunity that renewables present, not only to reduce overall GHG emissions but also to make the electricity system more resilient and fair access to energy a right granted by all communities . The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal # 7 calls for universal access to clean and affordable energy by 2030. Today, less than a decade towards the deadline, still 870 million people are lacking electricity globally, majority of which, more than 600 million, comes from sub-Saharan Africa. This shows the magnitude of the challenge and the need to address the issue from different angles.

Africa is leading in the solar resources and has suitable environment to invest in solar energy in support of its economic growth and embrace a just transition towards a next-zero carbon society. To boost the implementation of solar projects, economic, regulatory and social barriers has to be tackled, within this webinar, the SESA project calls to discuss representatives from National/ local government, international organisations, financial institutions, project developers and end users to share their experience and outline possible future that African countries could build. This webinar brings together individuals from different background and roles: policy makers, practitioners and end users to share their experiences and potentially articulate possible means to unlock the potential for advancing solar energy solutions in Africa.

Smart Energy Solutions for Africa (SESA) is a collaborative project between the European Union and nine African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania) that aims at providing energy access technologies and business models that are easily replicable and generate local opportunities for economic development and social cohesion in Africa. Through several local living labs, it is expected to facilitate the co-development of scalable and replicable energy access innovations, to be tested, validated, and later replicated throughout the African continent. These solutions will include decentralised renewables (solar photovoltaics), innovative energy storage systems including the use of second-life electric vehicle batteries, smart micro grids, waste-to-energy systems (biomass to biogas), climate-proofing, resilience and adaptation, and rural internet access.

Running from October 2021 until September 2025, SESA is the result of a strong partnership between leading European and African universities, research centres, industry actors, local governments, knowledge and implementation organisations and networks. These will be strengthened via peer-to-peer exchange, policy dialogues, regional and international events among others.

This webinar closes the first course of the SESA capacity building programme, a self-paced e learning format which focused on solar energy.  

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