As those costs decrease, adoption becomes more common.
In the first few months of his administration, one of President Joe Biden’s top policy priorities has been addressing the threat of climate change—while also improving infrastructure and creating jobs to generate economic growth. Biden has stated a goal of reaching 100% pollution-free electricity by 2035, which means dramatically scaling up renewable energy production in the U.S. To that end, Biden’s proposed American Jobs Plan would include investments in clean energy.One of the potential beneficiaries of this focus is the Solar Power Industry, which is seeing rapid growth as the costs associated with solar decline.
For many years, solar power was too expensive to be adopted at scale as a major source of energy production, but this has changed in recent years. One of the biggest reasons for the decline in costs has been technological innovation. Solar technology has become more reliable and more efficient over time, which lowers the cost of generating energy. As those costs decrease, adoption becomes more common, which allows solar cell manufacturers to achieve economies of scale and lower prices even further.
Government support has also been a major factor:billions in federal investment for renewablesduring the Great Recession helped spur the technological advances seen in the last decade, and the federal government—along with many states and localities—has long offered incentives to subsidize household solar adoption. These factors reached an inflection point in the mid-2000s, and solar production in the U.S. has been growing exponentially ever since.
In 2006, solar generated around 507,000 megawatt hours of energy and represented .01% of U.S. energy generated by the electric power industry. By 2019, solar thermal and photovoltaic accounted for 71,936,822 megawatt hours—around 140 times more than in 2006. Source: Muscatine Journal, Lattice Publishing Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Built by the Israeli company Doral Energy in Indiana, the Mammoth Solar project will produce 1.3 gigawatts of clean, solar energy.
The construction of Mammoth Solar, an Israeli solar energy project that will become the largest solar field in the United States, has begun following its groundbreaking, attended by Israel’s Ambassador to the US and the UN Gilad Erdan.
Built by the Israeli company Doral Energy in Indiana, the Mammoth Solar project will produce 1.3 gigawatts of clean, solar energy.
“The Mammoth Solar project is a milestone in the Israel-US relationship,” said Erdan in the groundbreaking of the project.
“This project is a shining example of the tremendous mutual benefits of our cooperation, not only for the people of Israel and the United States but for the entire world.”
“Mammoth Solar will create hundreds of jobs, and produce enough clean energy to power over one hundred and seventy thousand households annually,” the ambassador added.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, the Consul General of Israel to the Midwest Yinam Cohen and co-founders of Doral Energy Nick Cohen and Dori Davidovitz were also in attendance.
In addition to Israel’s 121 megawatt Ashalim Power Station in the Negev, which spans approximately 390 hectares, plans for a 300-megawatt solar farm were announced.
Source: THE JERUSALEM POST
Image credit: The groundbreaking of the Mammoth Solar project in Indiana (credit:MOSHE SHAI/FLASH90)
The mill in Canneto sull’Oglio is again generating green energy, over a century after Hermann Einstein made the village one of the first in its region with electric streetlamps.
Over a century ago, Hermann Einstein, father of the famous Nobel laureate physicist Albert Einstein, installed a hydraulic turbine and generator in the San Giuseppe mill in Canneto sull’Oglio, a small town in the northern Italian province of Mantua. The enhancement brought light to the village’s public streets for the first time.
Last month, after a yearlong renovation, the old mill, on Molino Street alongside the banks of the Naviglio canal, reopened in all of its former glory. Now, the facility, which dates back to 1898, will once again provide energy to the town by making use of a small drop in elevation on Molino Street where the water flows down into the bed of the Oglio River.
“It was originally the idea of Hermann Einstein — Albert’s father — at the end of the 19th century to exploit the drop in the river,” said Paolo Magri, technical director of Garda Chiese, a consortium that protects waterways, deals with wastewater, and helps expand and maintain irrigation water networks. It was under Garda Chiese’s auspices that the restoration of the mill was performed.
“We invested 460,000 euros [roughly $531,000] to build a hydroelectric plant by installing a hydraulic auger, the screw invented by Archimedes. The great mathematician and inventor had designed the auger to lift liquids, but in this system it harnesses the force of the flowing water to produce a spinning motion — which, thanks to a generator, then produces electricity,” he said.
Hermann Einstein’s turbine had a maximum output of 16 kilowatts; the new system can reach 50. The plant will have an average annual production of 200,000 to 250,000 kilowatt-hours, enough to provide all the electricity needs for some 70 households in the town of nearly 4,400 people.
As part of an initiative to educate young people about the work of Hermann Einstein and keep his memory alive, the Canneto sull’Oglio municipality will build a pedestrian and cycling bridge geared toward local schools that will connect the Einstein mill with the Cartara mill, located a little further downstream.
Canneto sull’Oglio Mayor Nicolò Ficicchia called the project a winning mix of history, technology and environmental activism. “The San Giuseppe Mill is a building that has great historical value, and is now used to produce clean energy,” he said.
Hermann Einstein moved his family from Ulm to Munich at his brother Jakob’s urging in the summer of 1880. There, the brothers established an electrical engineering company, Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie, which produced equipment for the then-cutting edge electric street lighting. With Hermann in charge of sales and Jakob acting as technician, the factory grew to employ about 300 workers, though competition from other companies eventually caused the firm to go bankrupt in 1893.
The following year, convinced by an Italian engineer, the brothers moved to Milan and built a factory in the town of Pavia, 25 kilometers (22 miles) south of the city, in record time. However, new financial issues forced this company out of business as well in 1896. Though the Einstein family had lost most of its money, Albert’s father ventured out on his own to establish yet another engineering company, this time in Milan, with the financial backing of some relatives.
Hermann Einstein arrived in Canneto sull’Oglio on February 6, 1898, with the goal of developing an innovative lighting system for the village. After conducting some local research, he presented town authorities with plans, which are still kept in the municipal archive.
“The proposal was submitted to the municipality a few days after Hermann Einstein’s arrival in the village,” said town councilman Gianluca Bottarelli, who oversees cultural affairs. “In September 1898, after complex negotiations, an agreement was reached. The German entrepreneur leased the municipal Madonna and San Giuseppe mills — which used the waters of the Naviglio canal to grind cereals — for a period of 25 years.”
In Canneto sull’Oglio, Hermann Einstein set out to radically modernize the mechanics of the San Giuseppe mill to create a real “electric light workshop” through the installation of a hydraulic turbine and generator, while ensuring that the grain milling continued.
The agreement also covered the construction, through the main streets of the town, of an electrical power grid for public and private use that was capable of powering 300 incandescent lamps. In September 1899 the project was completed and the new electric lights were switched on, making the town one of the first in the province of Mantua to boast street lamps.
Hermann Einstein’s stay in Canneto sull’Oglio was short-lived and, as early as March 1900, he sold the business to his cousin Rudolf while remaining its guarantor.
Even though his situation had improved, Hermann Einstein continued to be frustrated and concerned over finances. The stress had a strong impact, and his health suffered in his final years. On October 10, 1902, Hermann Einstein died of heart failure at the age of 55 in Milan.
Today, electricity is taken for granted, but at the turn of the 20th century it was a precious commodity. In Canneto sull’Oglio the legacy of Hermann Einstein will shine on as residents remember the extraordinary innovation he brought into the daily life of the small local community.
Source: GIOVANNI VIGNA ,The Times Of Israel
Image credits: Courtesy the San Giuseppe mill, The Times Of Israel, Public domain
In July 2020, SWACO (The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio) was proud to announce a partnership to lease the 173-acre property that once served as Franklin County’s sanitary landfill site on Jackson Pike for the purpose of turning it into productive reuse as a solar energy facility.
What was once a closed landfill, now is evolving into a renewable green-energy point of pride for our region – a highly visual symbol of our city’s commitment to sustainability and to providing a cleaner, more sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come.
Upon completion, which is scheduled December 2022, this will be the largest solar array on a closed landfill site in the country, producing enough clean energy to power 5,000 homes.
Through SWACO, the closed landfill ultimately belongs to residents in the region, so it’s been our intent from the beginning to ensure those same local residents and business owners, large and small, benefit from the energy produced on-site. We are thrilled that our vision has become a reality through our partnerships with the city of Columbus.
From Trash To Cash…. Waste Can Turn Into Green Energy!
Two of Asia’s largest economies are racing to contain a worsening energy crunch.
China is trying to assuage concerns about skyrocketing prices as its major coal mining hubs grapple with heavy rains and deadly accidents, problems that are compounding efforts to address power shortages.
Some leaders in India, meanwhile, are warning that key regions including the capital, New Delhi, could face a “power crisis” as the cost of electricity rises, even as the central government says the country has enough coal supplies to meet demand.
Energy demand is soaring worldwide as the global economy reopens. But supply isn’t keeping up.
Heavy rain and deadly accidents stir worry in China
In China, power shortages are the result of a combination of factors, from China’s post-pandemic construction boom, to its national push to reduce carbon emissions that led hundreds of coal mines to shut down or slash production earlier this year.
Restrictions on coal from key supplier Australia and weather woes have exacerbated the issue — and the latter issue has been acute this week, as heavy rains slammed Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, two key mining hubs that account for nearly half of the country’s coal output.
An incident involving a collapsed roof at a coal mine in Shaanxi’s Xianyang city has made matters worse. The incident — which killed four miners and seriously injured four others, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency — happened days after the provincial government warned all mines to boost safety checks. Xinhua said the local government is still investigating the cause of the collapse.
The price of thermal coal, which is primarily used to generate power, has continued to rise. Futures surged 11% Tuesday on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange to a new record of nearly 1,508 yuan ($234) per metric ton. That followed an 8% increase on Monday.
“We expect China’s coal and power supply crunch to persist into the winter,” Citi analysts wrote in a Tuesday research report, adding that the problem would “increase stagflation risks and growth pressures on the Chinese and global economy over the coming winter, [pushing] energy prices higher.”
The “extremely abnormal” weather forced 60 coal mines in Shanxi to shut down at the start of this month, according to an article posted Monday on the Ministry of Emergency Management’s website. Almost all of them have since resumed production, the Shanxi government said Tuesday, though four remain halted.
The National Reform and Development Commission — China’s top economic planner — has tried to calm concerns about the unfolding problem, reiterating Tuesday that the government is going to allow coal-fired power producers to charge more for energy.
Starting Friday, all industrial and commercial energy users will have to buy electricity at “market-oriented” prices, the agency said. Beijing has already made clear that power prices will be allowed to rise by as much as 20% from current base levels, or benchmark prices set by the government. Right now, the limit is 10%. Residents and the agricultural industry will not be affected, the agency said.
Indian leaders warn of a potential ‘power crisis’
In India, meanwhile, state leaders are warning the central government about the risks of a coal shortage.
Over the weekend, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that the capital “could face a power crisis,” adding that he recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to warn him of energy shortages.
Kejriwal called on the government to divert supplies of coal and gas to utilities supplying the capital, saying it was “essential to maintain uninterrupted power in Delhi, which is catering to strategic and important installations of national importance.”
The chief minister of southern Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy, also recently told Modi that the situation was “alarming.”
Coal stocks at most of India’s power plants have dropped to critically low levels.
As many as 61 of the 135 coal-fired power plants in Asia’s third largest economy have two days — or less — of coal supplies, India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) said in a Sunday report. Coal stocks at 16 of them have been run down to zero, it added. But the Indian government has maintained that it has enough supplies to meet demand.
The total fuel stock at coal-powered plants sits at about 7.2 million metric tons, which is sufficient for four days, the Ministry of Coal said in a Sunday statement. The agency added that government-owned mining giant Coal India has stock of more than 40 million metric tons.
“Any fear of disruption in power supply is entirely misplaced,” the ministry said.
Nonetheless, the situation in India “remains precarious,” analysts at ANZ Research wrote Tuesday. While Coal India says its daily supplies have risen, the analysts noted that some provinces are “getting less than half their contracted volumes” and that power shortages in Punjab and Jharkhand states are worsening.
Source: Laura He and Manveena Suri, CNN Business
Image credit: Harvard Business Review, newsaffinity
These preventative shutdowns come as the PG&E faces new legal woes.
Pacific Gas & Electric warned tens of thousands of customers in California that their power may be shut off to help prevent wildfires due to severe wind and drought conditions in the area.
The preemptive shutdowns, at the inconvenience of customers, come as the company is still reeling from fallout related to deadly blazes in 2018 and 2020 authorities say were sparked by trees hitting the power grid. They also come as climate change has exacerbated California’s wildfires, stoking conditions experts say have led to the larger and deadlier blazes seen in recent years.
The company sent shutoff warnings to nearly 44,000 customers spanning 22 counties — including Alameda, Fresno and Napa — in northern and central California on Sunday.
PG&E updated on its website that shutoffs were required and its map of outages indicated power had been temporarily turned off in a slew of communities in the state’s Northern Sierra Foothills region, North Coast region and beyond.
PG&E meteorologists have been tracking a weather system, which is expected to bring wind gusts of up to 50 mph,” the company said in a statement. “PG&E’s in-house meteorologists, its Wildfire Safety Operations Center and its Emergency Operations Center continue to monitor conditions closely.”
Customers impacted were notified via text, email and automated phone calls beginning Saturday, the company said. More information on the latest status in specific neighborhoods can be found on PG&E’s website, along with tips for customers on how to prepare for the planned outages — such as unplugging appliances and using battery-powered flashlights.
Counties that would likely see the most customers impacted include Tehama customers, they were sent warnings, Solano customers and Lake customers. PG&E initially said it expects “minimal impact” to be felt by customers in the Bay Area and Central Valley.
The National Weather Service has warned of high winds in California due to a powerful storm in the west bringing a “critical fire weather” warning in central and northern California through Tuesday.
The so-called Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), which proactively turn off power in an effort to reduce the risk of wildfire from energized power lines, come as California has been battling larger and deadlier blazes in recent years linked to climate change.
The preemptive power shutdowns also come as PG&E has been embroiled in controversy linked to the wildfires. Late last month, the company was charged with involuntary manslaughter and other counts related to the 2020 Zogg Fire, which was sparked by a tree contacting a PG&E electric line.
PG&E CEO Patti Poppe disputed the criminal charges in a statement shortly after they were announced, saying, “We’ve accepted CAL FIRE’s determination, reached earlier this year, that a tree contacted our electric line and started the Zogg Fire. We accept that conclusion. But we did not commit a crime.”
“This was a tragedy, four people died. And my coworkers are working so hard to prevent fires and the catastrophic losses that come with them. They have dedicated their careers to it, criminalizing their judgment is not right,” Poppe added.
The latest legal action taken against the firm comes after the company pleaded guilty last year to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of unlawfully starting a fire for its link to the ignition of the devastating 2018 Camp Fire.
In her statement, Poppe noted steps the firm is taking to prevent wildfires, saying it is investing more than $1.4 billion in 2021 alone in vegetation management, removing 300,000 trees and trimming a million more, working toward burying 10,000 miles of power lines and more.
It is a jump from doing office paperwork to building solar power systems but that is the leap Lorraine Nez is taking to bring renewable energy to her Native American reservation.
Nez was one of a dozen Native trainees who took a month-long course this summer on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation to become certified solar power installers and trainers.
The students from six tribes are among Native Americans tapping into vast renewable energy potential on tribal lands and fighting economic inequalities holding back access to clean power.
“This is still a new industry, there are not many people out here in this world with any type of knowledge,” said Nez, 44, a former nurse with a degree in business management, who is from the Rosebud Sioux reservation, South Dakota and lives in Rapid City, South Dakota where she works in medical billing.
Native Americans are ten times more likely to not have electricity than the nationalaverageand, as people of color far less likely to have solar power, after 20th century rural electrification bypassed some of their communities, studies have shown.
To help build tribal energy independence, training group Solar Energy International has partnered with non-profit Red Cloud Renewable to teach students to assemble off-grid systems for isolated homes or grid-connected arrays to cut bills.
These “solar warriors” hope to supply power to areas like the Navajo Nation, where around 25% of homes lack electricity, and cut energy bills in reservations such as Pine Ridge, which has the poorest county in the United States.
“I want to create community awareness, show by example how solar and renewable energies coincide with the Chippewa Cree belief system, the overall Native American belief system,” said trainee Clyde Brown, 45, who plans to install solar power at the community college on his Rocky Boy’s reservation, Montana.
Another goal is to create a Native American solar workforce to build big arrays in places like the Navajo Nation and Pine Ridge and teach solar skills to the next generation.
“The people there have realized that energy sovereignty is more important to themand the only way they’ll achieve that is focusing on the more renewable resources,” said workshop instructor Chris Brooks, 48, from non-profit Remote Energy of moves by reservations to diversify away from oil and gas and coal-based power.
Nez hopes to start an installation business in a sector dominated by men, driven by a way of life focused on the earth and elements.
“It’s there, why are we not using it?” she said of solar power.
Source: Andrew Hay, Emilie Richardson, Editing by Marguerita Choy, Yahoo News
JinkoSolar, as of the end of 2020, has become the world’s largest photovoltaic manufacturer. Its 2020 revenue of $5.38 billion was up 18.1% over 2019.
Now more than 2½ years into operations, solar-panel maker JinkoSolar(U.S.) Inc. is heading into its growth phase at its West Jacksonville manufacturing plant.
“We are in what I call ‘post-startup mode,’ which is all about optimization and streamlining the process,” said General Manager Mike Favo.
“So, we’re in growth. We’re past startup and in growth.”
Favo spoke to the JAX Chamber Three Rivers Council, which covers North and West Jacksonville. It met in the Sambura Room at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
The company chose Jacksonville in March 2018 for the $50.5 million facility. The city and state offered $4.2 million in a grant and tax refunds.
JinkoSolar has 285,652 square feet in a 407,435-square-foot building in Alliance Florida at Cecil Commerce Center in West Jacksonville.
Favo became general manager Aug. 1 after 15 years running U.S. Gypsum Co. in Jacksonville.
JinkoSolar employs 280 employees in Jacksonville.
Favo gave the Jacksonville timeline:
JinkoSolar signed the lease for the plant in March 2018. It installed equipment and began “shakeout” by November that year.
It officially started production in February 2019. “And we’ve been making panels every since,” he said.
Favo said he was recruited for the next phase.
“At the end of startup, you feel really good because you have all of the equipment running and you have product coming out,” Favo said.
“You’re shipping it to customers. Then it’s reality,” Favo said.
He said the facility “has an outstanding team.”
“Of all the plants I walked into over my career, this one was the most ready for post-startup that I’ve ever been to,” he said.
Favo’s presentation included a look at energy sector projections, which show a growing share by solar.
“I don’t think we are going to be the last plant in the United States, and we’re definitely not going to be the last plant for JinkoSolar,” he said.
Favo said solar panels are in high demand.
He said the energy sector is converting to sustainability, “and solar panels are exactly right for this.”
“This came along at a great time, as far as the United States is concerned. We’re growing our market share.”
He said many coal-fired plants have outlived their life. Coal is a nonrenewable energy source.
Favo said JinkoSolar is heavy on utility work. “We work with all the utility companies on their growth plans,” he said.
JinkoSolar also works on residential production.
JinkoSolar was established in 2006. It now employs about 15,000 employees among nine production facilities worldwide.
It distributes products to utility, commercial and residential customers in 160 countries.
“We’re now capable of doing 70 gigawatts globally, 12 gigawatts in the U.S.,” Favo said.
Jacksonville’s plant has potential to grow.
JinkoSolar says that in the U.S., it has warehouses in Long Beach and Torrance, California; Haslet, Texas; Port Elizabeth, New Jersey; and Hampton, Virginia.
It operates a business team in San Francisco, a nationwide sales team and the Jacksonville manufacturing plant.
JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010 and reached an agreement with DuPont in 2015 work together on solar-generated electricity. That can lead to more investment.
Favo said that as post-startup, the plant is working on sustainability practices, including its waste stream. That includes recycling and re-sourcing the cardboard and pallets that come into the plant.
Favo said employee development is important.
“Because of the competitive nature of the current marketplace, we are always hiring,” he said.
“I am very optimistic that over the next couple decades we will grow the size of the operation and will be in a continuous hiring and training process.”
Favo said JinkoSolar uses robotics. “I’m looking for tech-savvy operators,” he said.
With the labor shortage, “we’re competing with everybody here.”
Favo said JinkoSolar’s workforce is international, including working with refugee services. He said three Afghanistan natives work on the night shift.
Favo said that having led the U.S. Gypsum plant in Jacksonville, he has experience with the Jacksonville workforce.
“There’s a lot of talent here,” he said.
He said Jacksonville leadership “has done an excellent job of creating a technology corridor here.”
“We are not alone in being a newer company in the area with robotics and high-tech processes,” he said.
Favo said he met with Florida State College at Jacksonville and intended to work as well with Duval County Public Schools.
“We’re looking to find that talent that wants to develop themselves inside a growing company and grow with it,” he said.
“ElectReon” has been developing a system to charge electric vehicles (EVs) while in full motion using copper coils laid beneath the asphalt to transfer energy from the electricity grid to the roadand to manage communication with approaching vehicles. Receivers are installed on the floor of the vehicles to transmit the energy directly to the engine and the battery while the vehicles are on the go, doing away with concerns about limited driving range and short battery lifespans.
Electreon already has a number of running partnerships in Europe to pilot its “Wireless Smart Road” Tech in Germany, France, Belgium and Sweden.
ElectReon has also expanded its partnership with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality and the Dan Bus Company, with plans to launch a large-scale commercial deployment of its wireless charging infrastructure to power electric vehicles in Tel Aviv. ElectReon has inked a $9.4 million deal to roll out tech that will power 200 public buses at city terminals.
The $9.4 million deal includes a five-year agreement to supply some 200 public buses operated by Dan with active charging at city terminals between bus trips and while passengers board and disembark. In the first stage, ElectReon will integrate its charging systems into 100 buses at the Reading public transport terminal in north Tel Aviv, after which the charging infrastructure will be expanded to other major terminals in the city and in the south region of Israel for a total of 200 buses, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
ElectReon will finance the charging infrastructure at the terminals and provide operational services and maintenance throughout the length of the project. The Dan Bus Company will pay a monthly fee for the service, according to the agreement.
This summer, ElectReon welcomed former Israeli president Reuven Rivlin as company president to “enhance the company’s collaboration with governments and global companies, as well as to share our activities with decision-makers around the world.”
“With ElectReon there is an incredible opportunity to decarbonize the transportation sector by growing a network of electrified roadways that will make EV ownership more attainable,” Rivlin said in a post at the time.
In Sweden, ElectReon has installed a 1.65-kilometer (1-mile) electric stretch used by a bus and a truck on the 4.1 kilometer (2.5 miles) route between the airport and town center of Visby on Gotland Island.
The startup’s initial pilot project in Tel Aviv, announced last year, was to trial an electric public transportation system and to actively charge a bus from a half-mile of electrified wireless road between Tel Aviv University and the nearby train station where wireless stationary charging stations were also installed.
The company said the pilot showed that “the bus operator was able to reduce the vehicle battery capacity by 90% by enabling the bus to actively charge while driving as well as increase vehicle operational hours due to the fact that less downtime for charging was required.”
In Tuesday’s announcement, ElectReon said the company and its partners “will explore the possibility” of installing its wireless charging systems in the rest of Dan’s fleet of electric buses fleet and on the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv.
ElectReon CEO Oren Ezer said that the new agreement not only marks the company’s “first large-scale commercial project,” it also widely showcases “wireless EV charging for fleet vehicles.”
“This will continue to demonstrate the improved efficiency and cost savings that electric bus fleet operators can expect by implementing wireless charging infrastructure,” he added. “This momentum signals the growing need today for EV charging solutions across the global transportation market beyond the traditional charging station that enables a more seamless transition to electrification.”
Ofir Karni, CEO of Dan Bus Company, said ElectReon’s “advanced technology is expected to enable our electric fleet to achieve greater range and extended operational hours while flattening peak energy consumption loads from overnight depot charging and simultaneously, allow us to maintain our essential maneuvering space and operational flexibility at our terminals.”
Source: Ricky Ben David,The Times Of Israel, ElectReon
The pivotal role solar water pumping systems can play in the efforts to provide clean water to those most vulnerable can be a game changer.
Touted as the most solid and urgent report released to date, the UN’s recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report revealed that climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying.
UNICEF predicts that by 2040, if drastic measures aren’t taken, almost 1 in 4 children will live in areas of extremely high water stress.
As the numbers currently stand, a staggering 784 million people live without basic access to clean water, roughly 1 in 10 people on earth, and Sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing the slowest rate of progress toward water security in the world.
Aside from the detrimental impact on health this lack of water carries, it is also a crucial input for agricultural production and food security.
Agriculture is at the heart of Africa’s economy and has an extensive social footprint. It accounts for 14% of the total GDP in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the majority of employment for the continent’s population. But, due to increasing water scarcity, Africa is simply not able to reach its full agricultural potential, leaving many to face the negative impact of climate change without any help. Serious adverse effects on food security and on livelihoods at the regional, national and individual household levels are becoming increasingly prevalent.
The challenges faced by low-income countries are, among others, a lack of funding, education and infrastructure to take action. But as governments feel the pressure to ramp up their climate change strategies in the wake of the IPCC report, renewable energy should be our immediate answer to Africa’s water crisis and it’s in the form of solar power.
Solar powered water systems offer a cost-effective and sustainable way for communities to access safe and clean water which is becoming ever more critical to rural African communities. Clean water can exponentially limit the transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio.
With access to clean water, communities are healthier, women and children are freed of the burden of collecting water and now have the opportunity to attend school and/or establish income-generating businesses such as farming, brickmaking and much more.
In terms of farming, when local grids are unreliable or in some cases non-existent, solar-powered and efficient drip-irrigation, for example, is increasing farm-level incomes by five to 10 times, improving yields by up to 300% and reducing water usage by up to 90%. This has incredible economic impact for communities relying on farming to keep themselves sustained and bring in life-changing revenue.
Just a few solar panels can transform communities. Solar energy can address many critical gaps and challenges associated with climate change policies, and in turn, socioeconomic growth.
“At Innovation: Africa we have seen first-hand the impact that solar water pumping systems and access to clean water can have. Providing communities with reliable access to clean water changes everything, allowing them to lead healthier and more secure lives. The technology exists, the cost is minimal and the impact is truly transformative. We have seen It across the 500 villages we have already helped. There is no doubt that capturing energy from the sun to pump clean water is the only efficient solution to making a real change and to fighting today’s climate change and challenges” explains Ya’ari.
So why, despite having the best solar resource in the world available at a fraction of the cost, are so many African countries continuing to falter? Many have already succeeded in making the necessary advancements to scale up renewables, such as adopting support policies and promoting investment and regional collaboration. But most of the continent is still severely lagging on the renewable energy front.
The time is now for African countries to reimagine their energy policies and commit to bringing solar power to rural communities. The IPCC report has been described as a code red for humanity, but it should rather serve as a green light for reimagined energy and water policies.
Source: zimeye.net, Sivan Ya’ar (Truncated for salient material)
