54 African countries undertook to increase their renewable power capacities to 3000gw before 2030.
The breakthrough Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) was signed by 54 countries of the African Union the at the international climate change conference in Paris. Additional 10GW of renewable energy capacity is expected to be built on the continent in the coming five years and by 2030 this figure will rise to 300GW. This is higher than total solar capacity generated globally today. Thus African countries alone will help to double world solar power production by 2030.
The program will be sponsored by African Development Bank, which promised to allocated up to 40% of its assets for these projects. European countries are not going to hold back and ready to take part in this initiative. In particular, France will allocate up to €2bn for its implementation. “Developed countries owe to African continent for the damage they cause to global climate”, the President of France Francois Hollande said.
Indeed, Africa is worst affected by global warming though it is not among major greenhouse gas emitters. Desertification, deforestation, coastal flooding are just few effects of climate change for African continent. Nearly 32% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity, therefore the program of solar energy development can not only save African environment but also support local economy.
