How African Governments Can Make Money from Solar Power
The past decade has seen a lot of interest in the solar power, also known as photovoltaic (PV) technology trending. Demand has increased due to rising issues of global warming and the cost of generating power through ways that are traditional (hydro power and coal power stations). Increasing the proportion of energy produced by solar power is widely broadcasted as a key component in the worldwide drive to slow down or even reverse global warming and reduce our carbon footprint.
Most African countries have joined bandwagon of global-warming conscious economies. South Africa is one of the countries at the forefront pioneering the climate change initiative. As a member of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa) economies, South Africa has ushered the African-initiative on global warming and the importance of using renewable sources of energy. Since 2012, Johannesburg raised more than R800million for the solar water heater programme, South of the City, which assumes 110 000 RDP houses receiving sun-powered geysers by 2015. Next to the population, that is just a drop in the ocean, but it is a drop in the right direction.
According to the executive director of Greenpeace Africa, “Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate variability.” This topic was discussed at the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo public dialogue entitled ‘The nature and opportunities of preserving urban green spaces in Africa’, and quoted from a 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report titled Africa – up in smoke?. If we, and the government can see the dire situation, it calls for people to work with government, or campaign for a faster and better response to this situation before it gets worse; and we pay more for aid from other continents.
