Nigeria's Solar Power to Inspire More Sustainable African Energy?

The European Union has approved a U.S.$3.4 million working capital facility under the ElectriFI Country Window for Nigeria, for Okra Solar to use solar mesh-grids to target 76,000 energy access beneficiaries by the end of 2025, Chika Izuora writes for Leadership. The Okra Solar initiative, which was launched in 2016, developed the mesh-grid technology specifically to electrify underserved or unserved communities, and falls in line with a call by environmental expert Gafar Odubote who tasked Nigerians on adopting and adapting to renewable energy, to address climate change effects.

This comes after a study carried out in collaboration with the African Union (AU) and the International Solar Alliance reported that Africa has the potential to produce €1 trillion worth of green hydrogen a year by 2035.

Demand for the clean-burning fuel is surging as the world looks for alternatives to climate-warming fossil fuels and as Europe seeks to lessen its dependence on Russian natural gas. Supplies of natural gas have proved unreliable due to the political tension created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The researchers listed Egypt, Morocco and Mauritania, Namibia and South Africa as major production hubs, but said that Nigeria also has huge potential.