- Estimates the renewable energy capacity that must be
generated by 2050 for countries to meet development and climate
goals
- Outlines 4 pathways from energy poverty to close the gap for
3.8 billion people
NAIROBI,
Kenya, Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Rockefeller Foundation released a new report which calculates an
8,700 terawatt-hour (TWh) "Green Power Gap" that must be closed to
provide enough electricity for 3.8 billion people across 72
countries to participate in the modern economy. By estimating the
amount of clean power that these countries, including 44 in
Africa, must deploy to create a
future of energy abundance,
"The Green Power Gap: Achieving an
Energy Abundant Future for Everyone"
sets out four new pathways: 1) gradual grid
greening; 2) mixed grid renewable evolution; 3) decentralized solar
storage; 4) decentralized renewable mix. It
also identifies a green window of opportunity for
these countries to leapfrog from more traditional, costly, and
inefficient power systems.
The 72 countries represent 68 that fall below the Modern Energy
Minimum (MEM), which is defined as having an average annual per
capita usage of less than 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh), plus four
additional countries* that have surpassed the MEM threshold but are
included because significant proportions of their populations still
live well below the MEM. The African countries include:
Angola, Benin, Burkina
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central
African Republic, Chad,
Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Eritrea,
Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon*, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Lesotho, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali,
Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome
& Principe, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Somalia, South
Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
"While an energy transition is already taking hold in many
markets, far too many people in Africa are being left behind," said William
Asiko, Vice President and head of The Rockefeller Foundation's
Africa Regional Office. "The good news is that we are seeing
big and bold ambitions emerge, such as the recent commitment by the
World Bank and the African Development Bank to electrify 300
million Africans by 2030. These kinds of commitments, coupled with
Africa's superior renewable energy
resources, present a unique opportunity for the continent to create
diverse, reliable renewable energy systems – and we believe
quantifying the Green Power Gap is an important step towards
collective action."
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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rockefeller-foundation-green-power-gap-8-700-terawatt-hours-of-clean-energy-needed-in-72-countries-including-44-in-africa-302215821.html
SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation