Sunlight The Sahels Greatest Natural Resource Can Make The Sahel Self Sufficient!Sahelian Countries Look At Funding Solar Power Education For African Youth in order to build the power infrastructure of the future and provide inexpensive un interrupted energy for the region!
Some Sahelian nations like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have proposed a First Solar Training and Education Plan (FIRST S.T.E.P) (Kwanza Kambo) Swahili meaning First Step funding initiative tackles soft costs by addressing gaps in energy generation that is self sufficient and not reliant on foreign powers beginning with low cost solar training and energy education, this will create an empowered solar workforce professions that will play a crucial role in solar deployment. It will support the growth of energy generation training programs, including expanding of initiatives like Burkina Faso's 'Solar Grandmothers' project under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation of Burkina Faso. Where women were trained in the assembly and installation of solar home kits and following the training cycle, such kits are distributed in their rural communities.
FIRST STEP will expand to include Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment. This program ensures that solar instructors are well connected to youth as they journey to become future solar employers, veterans are encouraged to connect to solar training institutions, and engineering students are especially desired to add expertise toward increasing distributed energy to the national grids. FIRST STEP will enable solar training and education for related fields such as real estate, finance, insurance, fire and code enforcement, and lawmakers to establish state regulations enabling them to establish new credentials in solar operations and maintenance.
China's solar prowess is staggering. With a whopping 430 GW solar capacity (As of April 2023), the country is the largest producer of solar energy in the world. In the first six months of 2022, the nation has deployed more than 30.88 GW of Solar PV systems. They also offer the most inexpensive solar power panels. In the Sahel Solar Farms could be created as an economical way to feed the grid energy. Assuming an average solar panel efficiency of 20%, and that the solar panels receive an average of 5 peak sunlight hours per day, 1 acre of solar farm could potentially produce around 250-300 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per day.
“We really need to consider solar energy...” said Manenji Mangundu, NRC’s former country director for Burkina Faso and Niger. “People will always be... (in need) close to the whole day with the heat that is there, it’s like you’re punishing people.” Although solar may not have made sense from an economic perspective ten years ago, in the last decade the cost of solar panels has come down 90%, making it the most competitive solutionand creating a lasting permanent infrastructure safety net. Renewable energy experts also say that in impoverished countries, such as Burkina Faso, solar power can be crucial to creating decentralized energy solutions, because the electricity grid doesn’t reach remote places and generators aren’t always feasible because populations can’t afford diesel.
Burkina Faso’s army captain and popular public supported interim president, Ibrahim Traoré, has said security is the priority for his government. His address on state was met with almost unanimous support as the nation as seen the most prolonged period of stabilty and economic growth in decades. The only people complaining are African nations afraid their own populations will become awake to their status as puppets of foreign powers when they witness what a free African nation can do. Especially in areas of combatting energy poverty imposed by foreign powers to keep nations from speedily building self sustaining infra structure which could expand to economic inity and intr african trade without oppressive foreign enforced roadblocks and tarriffs.
Burkina Faso’s government wants to cut energy dependence on its neighbors and meet 30% of electricity needs from solar panels by 2030. Nuclear power plants built by Russia will also be a part of the nations power plan.Not only can solar energy minimize deforestation in the Sahel, as forests are being stripped off by people in need of wood to survive, but it also reduces pollution as a whole as greening efforts continue.
Niger has many solar power initiatives, including projects to increase electricity access and production from renewable sources. ANPER This government-created organization designs, implements, and monitors rural energy efforts to help Niger achieve universal electrification by 2035. ANPER has determined that solar mini-grids are a cost-effective way to provide energy to 1,000 rural villages.
Desert to Power Initiative (RANA) was integral to Niger's growth this project increased electricity production from renewable sources and improved access to modern energy services. Outcomes included increased solar-based electricity generation capacity, improved access to electricity, reduced carbon footprint, and job creation. Niger's electricity access rate was estimated at less than 20% in 2020, one of the lowest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. Solar power initiatives across the nation helped Niger balance its energy mix, which is currently dominated by thermal energy, and improve the country's ability to withstand climatic shocks.
Mali has several solar power initiatives, including government-led projects, private sector initiatives, and NGO projects included the Desert to Power National Roadmap. In 2020, Mali adopted this roadmap to increase solar power production capacity by 10 gigawatts by 2030. The roadmap includes targets to add 399 MW of solar capacity by 2025 and 977 MW by 2030, and to provide electricity to 250 million people. The roadmap also identifies priority actions and activities to achieve these goals. The government plans to install large-scale solar plants to increase the country's energy production. These projects may offer opportunities for investors to partner with the government or private companies to develop and operate the plants as long as their is a training opportunity for Mali's citizens to maintain the plants and build the economy.
Senegal has seen a significant increase in its solar power production in recent years, driven by its commitment to renewable energy and the country's abundant year-round sunlight. In 2021, Senegal's solar energy capacity was 238 megawatts, up from only 6 megawatts in 2012. In 2022, solar PV and wind accounted for more than one-fifth of the country's electricity generation, and Senegal has pledged to increase its renewable energy capacity to 40% by 2030. According to World Bank data, over 70% of the population of Senegal currently has access to electricity directly attributable to investment in Solar Energy..
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