Mass migration of people suffering from conflict and climate change ––  from Syria to Iraq to Yemen, to all over countries in Africa –– worries Europe. Climate change messes up water resources, limits agriculture; it promotes famine and exacerbates pest infestations like the locust attack weighing down on Africa and the Middle East right now.

Good news from our hardworking neighbors in Germany – the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank KfW, has just given $54 million USD in aid to help keep young Congo men out of the hands of warlords.

The aid will help the people in the Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as the DRC. The DRC is arguably the most mineral-rich country in the world – laden with gold, diamonds, copper, lithium, while conversely years of conflict and poor management has kept its people dirt poor. 

Strengthening Smallhold Farmers

The aid money sent by Germany will support over 180,000 people living in rural areas – most of them smallholder farmers – in Walikale territory in North Kivu and Mwenga and Walungu territories in South Kivu.

The farmers will receive assistance to strengthen their agricultural production and post-harvest management, diversify their income generating activities, and improve nutrition and basic social services, the FAO tells us. This, in turn, will contribute to peace and stability in the region.

We hope.

And for Germany and other European countries that means less trouble for them in terms of migrants and refugee absorption, and more economic stability globally. No one wants to see Africa suffer and it’s high time we help all the African nations out of the mess.

Stopping warlords through farming

Besides being mineral rich, the DRC is one of the most fertile countries on earth and has great agricultural potential with approximately 80 million hectares of arable land – the second-largest cultivable area in the world after Brazil. It is also home to approximately half of the continent’s water resources. Yet, its potential remains largely unexploited and it remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

In North and South Kivu, the socio-economic fabric has been destroyed by decades of conflict, displacement and recurring agricultural and climate shocks. Local warlords often take advantage of adolescents’ vulnerability and low levels of education to enroll them in armed groups.

“Without food security, there can be no peace,” said Aristide Ongone Obame, the FAO representative in the DRC. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNICEF, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the east of the DRC will be distributing the aid: “This joint programme offers us the opportunity to break this cycle through building resilience – making households, communities and national systems better equipped to prevent and cope with similar shocks in the future in ways that support economic and social development, preserve integrity and protect children,” said Edouard Beigbeder from UNICEF.

The Government of Germany has been supporting resilience building activities in the Kivus since 2017 with a contribution of $40 million USD through a joint program now winding down. The new programme will build on the successes of this programme, which has reached more than 400,000 people.

Time to invest in renewables in Africa?

It’s time for some contributions from the Middle East and Arab world. Maybe some Arab loan incentives to get renewable energy into the mining industry?

A number of gold mining companies, including one of the world’s biggest – Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD) is actively mining in the DRC. Barrick has said over and over again that Environmental, Social and Governance (or CSR) is essential, not an option, in the mining industry. So they could be excellent partners to work with.

According to Catherine Raw, Chief Operating Officer, North America for Barrick Gold, it’s time for gold mining companies to wake up: that investors are aware of and actually want corporate social responsibility (CSR) or ESG criteria to be met when they invest: She tells the Northern Mining News: “ESG is not a new phrase, corporate governance, social responsibility, licence to operate, sustainability: these are all words that have been going on well at least since I came out of university.

“When you own a supermarket, or you own a retailer, or you own a tech company,” she explains, “you don’t have the same kind of exposures. However, this can be a driver or has the potential to drive M&A activity because investors are identifying management teams they trust, those management teams who are able to mitigate or manage the risks associated with ESG issues successfully and have a track record to do so.

“And those companies that slip up, are getting punished in a far greater way than they ever have done in previous cycles,” she cautions. 

If you look at Barrick investor reports, you will notice that more than half of it focuses on the contributions they give back to society. You can see their sustainability section on their website. So gold might be the boost: Gold is a finite resource and in times of trouble (like coronavirus) investors are looking to put their money into the stability of gold. 

A golden opportunity for national solar and wind power projects?

Barrick has JVs with a number of young gold companies and exploration companies out of Canada including Loncor in Toronto (TSE:LN). Canada, as a resource-rich country that knows how to operate mines, and the Arab world as an oil producer that clearly needs to diversify away from oil, could be great partners in turning the DRC –– and all of Africa at large ––  into a renewable energy hub that sends power to all of Africa and parts of Europe. Financing renewable energy projects is not charity. It’s a means of investing and doing good at the same time.

On the sunbelt, mineral rich with gold and diamonds, all parties involved could reap the rewards, as well as local communities near the mines.This article here points out how microgrids, led by mining companies, can be the future and increase corporate dividends.

But meanwhile, aid is still needed to fend off immediate hunger and troubles and build resilience until this bold plan will take root – pulling sun and wind from Africa and turning it into renewable energy across continents.

NASA dreamt it up, then the US Department of Energy, and most recently the Desertec project that never got off the ground. A new mix of dreamers, financing partners from the western east, and the mining industry to believe in it, will help this bold plan hold. What do you think?

The post Germany invests in the DRC, but renewables could save all of Africa appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Middle East and North Africa have faced a number of hurdles in getting what experts believe could be the greatest solar power grid in the world off the ground. From Morocco to Egypt to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), obstacles have continued to stand in the way of creating a grand solar project. Until now.

According to the Climate Investments Funds (CIF), this week they are prepared to deliver $7.6 billion to Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco that would enable the go-ahead to create “an unprecedented 1,120 megawatts (MW) of energy from Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) for the region.”

CIF said it is expected to leverage some $5 billion from donors in addition to $660 million to finance the ambitious project.

It comes as Morocco, home to Desertec – the largest solar power project in the world – faced controversy late last year after European donors failed to show up at an investment meeting aimed to get funding for the project.

In the two years since the beginning of the Arab Spring, CIF says the project has undergone numerous changes to mold itself to the current political and economic environment.

“The revised plan accepted today by the CIF governing body provides a realignment of projects in the pipeline based on each country’s reassessed needs; focuses on well-performing projects as a stronger measure of the plan’s positive impact; and expands the plan’s horizons to also include Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic (CPV) technologies and business models including public sector, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and independent power producers (IPPs),” it said.

The original plan projected a total of 895 MW of power, but with the revision the region now expects to achieve 1.12 GW, making it the most ambitious CSP program in the world. The countries have also agreed to request a smaller funding envelope from the original US $750 million to US $660 million including currently funded projects.

“The changes suggested by the countries in the plan make it a more viable and flexible plan which takes into account the realities each of these countries face,” stated Mafalda Duarte, AfDB coordinator for the Bank’s CIF program.

“We can all look to this revised plan as both a signal of hope for the forward economic and social movement in the region built on renewable energy, and a more realistic blueprint for the evolution of renewables as a potent engine of power globally.”

Experts hope that the new funding won’t find itself struggling like Desertec in Morocco. It saw a number of pull-outs late last year, which Green Prophet reported, including the future of the project as a whole.

Both Bosch and Siemens pulled out, further fanning skepticism. But All Africa reports that despite setbacks, solar energy is safe in Morocco, where the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) has secured $380 million for a 160MW CSP plant planned for the same region set aside for the Ourzazate plant.

With few fossil fuel reserves to call their own, Morocco has long demonstrated its commitment to generating renewable energy.

In 2009 the government unveiled a plan to spend $9 billion on a total of 2 GW of solar energy by 2020, in addition to wind and biofuel projects.

Then in June, 2011, the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) signed a cooperation agreement with Masen to start working on projects that would allow Europe to benefit from Morocco’s solar. This agreement would have allowed Morocco to lean on Dii’s networking prowess for help with its own plans.

Given this history, it’s not so surprising that the media panicked when the Desertec initiative took a tumble, but it was premature to underestimate Morocco’s ability to sidestep obstacles in order to meet the country’s rising energy demand.

Now, with the new funding, solar power can finally, or hopefully, be the future that the MENA region believed it would be many years ago.

The post Jumpstarting Solar Power in the MENA Region appeared first on Green Prophet.

In a recent article published in the journal Renewable Energy, researchers estimate that while Libya currently produces approximately 1.4 million barrels of crude oil a day, covering just 0.1 percent of Libya with solar panels could produce the energy equivalent of seven million gallons of crude oil. But that is easier said than done.

Solar powerhouse

With an average daily solar radiation rate of about 7.1 kilowatt hours per square meter per day (kWh/m²/day) along the coast and 8.1kWh/m²/day in desert interior, Libya could be a serious solar powerhouse.

But its former despotic regime and recent political instability has resulted in a complete lack of transparency that is unfavorable to meaningful change.

That combined with fuel subsidies that make it hard to wean the country off fossil fuels and a general lack of knowledge and skilled workers familiar with alternative energy, has created major barriers to the serious implementation of the kind of large scale renewable energy projects that could free Libya from its addiction to oil.

But there is hope for the country, which has a long Mediterranean coastline.

Libya and DESERTEC

Bordered by other nations that have joined the growing DESERTEC initiative, including Tunisia, Libya too has taken tentative steps towards creating a base for renewable energy implementation with the long term goal of exporting power to Europe.

“A first positive step towards renewable energy was the establishment of the Renewable Energy Authority of Libya (REAOL), which created a renewable energy roadmap up to 2030. The target is to have a 30% renewable energy share of the total eletricty production by 2030,” according to the DESERTEC Knowledge Platform.

DESERTEC adds that “REAOL has prepared a mid-term plan (2008-2012) to promote renewable energy and to meet the targets presented in the table ‘Renewable energy targets.'”

“The Plan addresses projects in solar and wind and the possibilities of stimulating local manufacture of equipment for renewable energy.”

Some of the solar energy plans include:

• 5-10 MW PV plants connected to the Aljofra, Green Mountain and Sabha grid
• Extending the use of PV technologies in remote areas (2 MW)
• 1000 roof top systems for residential areas (3 MW)
• Feasibility study for CSP plant in unspecified location (100 MW)
• Developing a joint venture with local and foreign investors for the manufacture of solar water heaters for the local and export markets (40,000 units / year) and assembly of PV systems (50 MW)

The Renewable Energy Journal report also lauds the country’s wind power potential, particularly along the coast where the wind gusts for sustained periods year-round. REAOL had previously expressed a plan to generate a total of 1GW of wind energy in the short term, though it is uncertain how successful they have been.

Image of Libyan oasis in the desert, Shutterstock

The post Libya’s Oil Reserves Pale in Comparison to Solar appeared first on Green Prophet.

Particularly well poised to supply solar modules to countries in the MENA region given that their thin film solar cells can withstand high temperatures and minimal water, First Solar already has a firm foot in the renewable door with a host of solar projects in various Gulf countries.

“Our extended dedication to Dii as a shareholder emphasizes First Solar’s commitment to the MENA region, where we see tremendous potential to build a sustainable market for solar power,” said Christopher Burghardt, First Solar’s Vice President of Business Development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“Dii is the ideal industrial initiative to bring power from the deserts into reality.”

“I am very proud that First Solar decided to increase its commitment to our initiative,” said Paul van Son, CEO of Dii, who added that with 3 gigawatts of solar energy projects in the pipeline, First Solar has what it takes to help realize the “Desertec vision” of creating an industrial scale renewable energy market by 2050.

A leading provider of industrial-scale photovoltaic plants, First Solar is also well-established in the Middle East.

In addition to a new office in Dubai, the company is building an office in Saudi Arabia and a 13 MW PV plant for Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) – the first phase of the USD 3.3 billion Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park that will eventually pump 1,000MW back into the United Arab Emirates’ national grid.

First Solar also erected a 5 MW PV system for the Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company and even donated a small PV system to King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, responding to press that claimed Desertec has lost track of its own goals following the recent launch of Desertec Saudi Arabia, the Desertec foundation pointed out the difference between it and Dii GmbH.

“Dii works particularly with German industry to create the conditions for projects in various countries in North Africa,” a recent press release emphasized.

“The DESERTEC Foundation,” on the other hand “is committed to the worldwide implementation of the DESERTEC Concept: a solution in the fight for a sustainable global energy policy and thus also for security, peace and social stability.”

“We support, advise and fight for the implementation of these solutions. Our objectives are clear and we believe in them!”

Photo Credit: boutmuet via Flickr

The post First Solar Takes on More Serious Desertec Role appeared first on Green Prophet.

A new report published by Green Tech Media (GTM) Research pins the surge from today’s near-negligible production on rapidly rising energy demand spurred by MENA economic expansion, population growth, and urbanization. It helps that the region is supersaturated with sunlight.

Factor in rising opposition to nuclear development and growing public awareness of the environmental sins of fossil fuels, and solar’s sunny reception makes perfect sense. Plus renewables, specifically concentrated solar (CSP) and photovoltaics (PV), would provide a secure domestic substitute for state-subsidized oil-generated electricity.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are expected to account for 70 percent of MENA’s total demand; each nation has unique motivations and strategies.

Conservation of oil for export is driving Saudi’s solar targets: 16GW of PV and 25GW of CSP by 2030. Turkey’s swing towards solar is a defense against its tenuous reliance on imported Russian and Iranian gas.

Saudi production will be based on large-scale ground-mounted arrays and CSP plants.  Turkey will go with commercial and industrial rooftop PV segments.

In 2005, Turkey was the first MENA nation to establish a feed-in tariff (FIT), a limited program that failed to create adequate demand to attract large manufacturing. But with a retooled FIT in place and favorable renewable energy policies, Turkey’s predicted to experience significant PV demand.  The nation has a 2023 solar target of 3GW, a planned capacity that GTM believes they’ll significantly exceed.

Abu Dhabi is moving forward with Shams-1, the world’s largest single-unit (100MW) concentrating solar power plant. Qatar plans to install 1.8 GW of PV capacity by 2014 and Dubai aims to source 5% of its power supply from solar by 2030. Then there’s Abu Dhabi’s EU-backed Desertec project.

Jordan and Morocco also have solar ambitions.

Last December,  Jordan announced the kingdom’s first FIT. Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Commissioner Mohammad Hamid told pv-tech,“With rising international oil prices, the government has been looking for ways to reduce electricity demand and costs. We found that the best way to achieve both is by encouraging Jordanians to go solar.” ERC claims that solar could save individuals and small to medium sized businesses up to 70% on their monthly bills.

Intentionality is great, but implementation demands strong policies and reasonable regulatory frameworks. In a region experiencing dramatic political and social change, solar’s future remains dubious. 

The report was authored GTM Research analyst Scott Burger in collaboration with the Emirates Solar Industry Association.  Burger presented highlights at the World Future Energy Summit on January 16th, describing major stakeholders, overall market structure, and long term outlook of each solar market in the region.

The full report is
 available for purchase on the GTM website.

Top image via Shams Youtube Video

The post Sunny Solar Outlook For Middle East and North Africa appeared first on Green Prophet.

Both Bosch and Siemens pulled out as well, further fanning skepticism. But All Africa reports that despite setbacks, solar energy is safe in Morocco, where the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) has secured $380 million for a 160MW CSP plant planned for the same region set aside for the Ourzazate plant.  

With few fossil fuel reserves to call their own, Morocco has long demonstrated its commitment to generating renewable energy.

In 2009 the government unveiled a plan to spend $9 billion on a total of 2 GW of solar energy by 2020, in addition to wind and biofuel projects.

Then in June, 2011, the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) signed a cooperation agreement with Masen to start working on projects that would allow Europe to benefit from Morocco’s solar. This agreement would have allowed Morocco to lean on Dii’s networking prowess for help with its own plans.

Given this history, it’s not so surprising that the media panicked when the Desertec initiative took a tumble, but it was premature to underestimate Morocco’s ability to sidestep obstacles in order to meet the country’s rising energy demand.

With backing from the European Investment Bank, the French Development Agency and Germany’s KfW added to existing support from the World Bank, European Union and the African Development bank, Masen has secured an initial $380 million that will allow the agency to honor its recent contact with Saudi’s ACWA Power to oversee a 160MW CSP plant in southern Morocco.

This falls short of the 1.04 billion euro necessary to reach completion, but it’s a start and it shows that Morocco is unwavering in its commitment to transform the country into a power producer.

With domestic energy demand on the rise and fossil fuel due to reach its peak, and global greenhouse gas emissions dangerously high, we really can’t imagine a saner alternative.

:: All Africa

Image of desert flower in Morocco, Shutterstock

The post Moroccan Solar is Safe Despite Desertec Setbacks appeared first on Green Prophet.

A quick call to the Spanish authorities reveals that the government is dealing with the Eurozone crisis and does not have extra funds to be part of the initial phase of Morocco’s Desertec solar project, which aims to deliver renewable energy to Europe. The first Desertec project between the EU and Morocco is consequently under threat as Spain had been an instrumental partner in the project.

Officials from France, Italy, Luxemborg and Malta were in Berlin last week with Moroccan representatives to ink the deal that would begin the process of developing a 100MW PV power plant, 100MW wind power plant and 150MW CSP power plant to export electricity to Europe.

Spain is seen as a key participant in the Desertec project since a major transmission line connecting North Africa to Europe would need to go through that country before reaching the rest of Europe. Now the signing is on hold and the Moroccan government is frustrated that it could dampen the overall make-up of the solar energy project.

When I spoke to Spanish officials this week, they were clear that they were not pulling out of Desertec. It’s all about the economy for Spain. Currently, with the country facing potential austerity measures, the government probably cannot put money towards this project. Like other European partners, excluding perhaps Germany, the crisis on the continent is going to see investments abroad stalled.

At the end of the day, we must all take a wait and see approach to this project.

With Europe struggling across the continent economically, there might not be sufficient funding for projects outside their borders. Is Europe turning its back? It doesn’t seem likely. They must rectify the situation at home before committing their money to projects that are future-looking. Desertec is likely to be successful eventually, and Spain will be a partner. Right now, no. But in the future, definitely.

Image: solar field at sunset, Shutterstock

The post Op Ed: Euro Troubles Delay Desertec appeared first on Green Prophet.

Officials from France, Italy, Luxemborg and Malta were in Berlin last week with Moroccan representatives to ink the deal that would begin the process of developing a 100MW PV power plant, 100MW wind power plant and 150MW CSP power plant to export electricity to Europe.

Spain is seen as a key participant in the Desertec project since a major transmission line connecting North Africa to Europe would need to go through Spain before reaching the rest of Europe. Now the signing is on hold and the Moroccan government is frustrated that it could dampen the overall make-up of the solar energy project.

“This is just a hiccup and we fully expect to hear from Spain and see what the issue is that is holding them back from moving forward on this grand project that will deliver renewable energy for Africa and Europe,” said a top government official.

Surprisingly, the Desertec Reference Project had been vetted by two Spanish companies as well as the TSO Red Electrica and the European Commission declared it feasible, pv-tech.org reported.

Dii CEO, Paul van Son, said: “I’m confident that the other partners in this negotiation, from Morocco and the EU states, will be able to convince Spain soon as Spain could profit a lot.”

German utility RWE is to oversee the development of lthe first arge-scale photovoltaic, wind and concentrating solar power (CSP) projects in Morocco as part of Desertec.

Morocco imports 97 percent of its energy needs, currently dominated by coal. Its forward-looking energy policy, according to the World Bank, focuses on two key objectives: improving energy security while addressing climate change mitigation, but also ensuring energy access for all citizens and businesses at the lowest possible cost.

With Siemens also announcing it was letting go of solar energy investments to focus on wind, Desertec is now facing an uphill battle that must deal with a number of issues before the project that could be a watershed moment for solar energy globally gets officially off the ground.

Image of solar power plant in Spain, Shutterstock

The post Spain Ditches Morocco’s Desertec Solar Project Meeting appeared first on Green Prophet.

China’s State Grid Corp (SGCC) expressed an interest in becoming involved in the $514 billion Desertec renewable energy project, according to a conglomerate spokesperson, Reuters reports.

This news comes just after Siemens’ announcement that it is severing its solar arm, which included both the Desertec and Solel initiatives.

Energy generated by solar and wind plants in North Africa will be evacuated to Europe via cables that will run under the Mediterranean Sea, so it’s uncertain how SGCC expects to benefit from a partnership except as a shareholder. But the firm’s interest does show a growing faith that it can succeed.

Despite criticism of the project’s ambitious scope and costs, progress continues apace.

“Government representatives from Morocco, France, Italy, Malta and Luxembourg came to Berlin to sign a memorandum of understanding with Germany for a first Desertec cooperation project between EU member states and Morocco. Yet the agreement has had to be postponed due to the absence of Spain, a crucial participant,” according to a recent press release.

The Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) and the Moroccan Solar Agency Masen has been mulling over the business case for a Desertec Reference Project with Spain’s TSO Red Electrica and the European Commission for the last two years, according to the release.

“Investors have been found, initial subsidies are available, and industry wants to get involved.”

“I’m confident that the other partners in this negotiation, from Morocco and the EU states, will be able to convince Spain soon as Spain could profit a lot,” emphasized Dii CEO Paul van Son.

A 100 megawatt photovoltaic and wind power plant by RWE are already underway in Morocco, along with a 150 megawatt CSP plant, and efforts to establish agreements in sun-drenched Algeria and Tunisia, which could result in an additional two gigawatts of renewable energy generation, have been “stepped up.”

“Italy supports this plan as a strategic partner. Plans for a grid connection to the Italian electricity grid are currently being discussed in detail. This development would open up new perspectives for Italian industry.”

The post Siemens Exits Desertec and China Wants to Enter appeared first on Green Prophet.

Once they are are online, part of the energy these plants generate will be evacuated to Europe via subsea cables on the Mediterranean sea floor. Each country has made commitments that make sense to them, but Algeria’s ambitions are perhaps the boldest of all.

Algeria hopes to produce 650 MW by 2015 and – get this – 22,000MW within another 15 years.

At the end of last year, the national utility company Sonelgaz reached an agreement with the Desertec Foundation to supply a chunk of that energy to Europe. But in order to come clean with that arrangement, Algeria needs to start building.

Luckily there is no shortage of solar potential in the North African country, according to ieee:

Sonelgaz estimates that in the part of the country covered by the Sahara—86 percent of the total area—there are about 3500 hours of sunshine each year. This yields an insolation rate of 2650 kilowatt-hours per square meter per year, similar to or even better than the best areas in the California deserts that dominate U.S. solar installation sites.

In 2010, Algeria produced about 2.078 million barrels of oil each day, but ieee expects that amount to drop off, which would partially explain the country’s eagerness to vamp up their energy portfolio.

Although the country (and region overall) are deeply unstable politically, the engineering arm of the national utility company CEEG began to solicit tender bids for both solar and wind energy projects.

Jordan is doing the same after a series of natural gas pipeline explosions have disrupted supplies from Egypt. It’s a hopeful trend, and one that can be sustained as technology progresses.

:: ieee

Image credit: Sahara Desert in Algeria, Shutterstock

More on Desertec and Solar Power:

4 Desertec Deals That Make our Energy Future More Secure

World Bank to Fund Massive Grid Expansion to Link Desertec / Arab World

MENA is Fired Up For a Solar Boom

The post Algeria Solicits Bids for Wind and Solar Plants appeared first on Green Prophet.