Abstract

With a large part of the population not having access to modern energy services in their daily life, energy poverty remains one of the most pressing development challenges on the African continent. Africa’s fossil fuel resources as well as its renewable energy potential can serve as the means to achieve this. For Africa’s social and economic development in the 21^st century, however, the benchmark for these sources is to deliver energy that is affordable, reliable and sustainable. The following study offers a comparison between the two energy sources according to economic, social and environmental indicators. As the analysis shows, renewable energy technologies increasingly become the preferred option for Africa’s energy challenge. The study then concludes with a description of policies for African countries to realize the up-scaling of these technologies.

Key words: Renewable energy, green growth, energy transition.

Abbreviation

CCS, Carbon Capture and Storage; CIF, Climate Investment Fund; CSP, Concentrated Solar Power; GHG, Greenhouse Gas; LCOE, Levelized Cost of Energy; NAMA, Nationally Approriate Mitigation Actions; PV, Photovoltaic; RET, Renewable Energy Technology; SEFA, Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa.