Africa's Distributed Power is the Blueprint for Just and Economic Energy Infrastructure

Our focus this week comes in a response to the Heartland Institute article on how environmental justice has come to the forefront in Africa. Dr. James Rust, a nuclear engineer, has made the argument that environmentalists are bringing an environmental injustice to the continent by not seeing the economic, health, and benefits of boosting the fossil fuel industry into the mix as Africa continues to urbanize at a rapid pace. He also argues that renewable energy costs will stunt Africa’s development. Dr. Rust sees the concern of electricity shortages attributed to fossil fuel policy, however we have another take on his claims.

Simply put, Dr. Rust’s credibility on other environmental topics could be thoroughly derailed through our previous research and findings in this course. He argues that 2014 was not the hottest year on record due to satellite temperature readings. He claims that Urban Island Heating Effect was not accounted for in surface station readings, but I find that claim difficult after chapters 14/15 of A Vast Machine shows that our GCMs are formatted to utilize surface stations to model areas that are a compilation of stations in and outside of that “zone”. Also, we know that the big “aha” moment climate deniers pushed in the past with global climate showed fault in satellite readings from the University of Alabama (Climate Wars, Episode 2).

However, we do want to focus our attention particularly to the situation in Africa. He’s absolutely right about there being an electricity shortage there. According to the African Business Review, blackouts due to electricity shortages are costing Africa’s economy 80 billion dollars every month. Fossil fuels could possibly be a quick fix, but as an engineers we have to evaluate the external costs and social impacts behind it’s implementation. Renewables are seen as “costly” and introducing new environmental issues to the region (land use). With that, how exactly do we “power” Africa?

First and foremost, fossil fuels are not the answer. The external cost of the energy industry is blatantly obvious in South Africa, where the fossil fuel industry is failing to power the entire country. In addition, it has also enabled environmental distribution injustice by allowing 12 coal fire plants to line up in the Mpumalanga Province under one energy company, Eskom. While Dr. Rust cites an article that points to the World Bank lending the company $3.8 billion to help bolster its economy, what has Eskom got to show for it? If you guessed more health issues, then you are absolutely right. Greenpeace has released a report indicating that those 12 coal fire plants lead to 2700 premature deaths each year. Eskom isn’t even being asked to comply with remotely decent emission standards until late 2015. A July 2014 report by local environmental justice NGO Ground Work found that in Mpumalanga’s Highveld area, the health risks related to outdoor air pollution resulting from Eskom’s emissions were three times higher than those associated with burning coal indoors. The report also found that 51 percent of all hospital admissions and deaths in the area due to outdoor air pollution could be attributed to emissions from Eskom’s power stations.

Outside of South Africa, many countries are not even on the grid. The International Energy Agency estimates that 585 million people do not have access to energy. That means that we are left to deal with the issue of grid infrastructure being the first cost associated with energy being brought to the region. On the other hand, we could focus our efforts towards distributed power. Distributed power is power that would be produced right at home for many Africans. In fact, we see distributed power through the use of fossil fuels in effect in many of these countries with energy poverty. Nobody is arguing that this method of energy production has been downright awful for the economy and health of the people. The previously noted Forbes article mentioned how household air pollution is the cause of 600,000 deaths per year in Africa. What about distributed renewables?

One issue that’s been arising with renewables is cost. The return on investment for renewables is undeniable. The large-scale plants will cost a ton. We mentioned earlier that the infrastructure would have to be reworked to implement large-scale plants. However, the BBC points out that entrepreneurs are able to sell solar power at the same rate as the distributed coal power used through generators now. According to the link, solar energy companies are able to sell power to households for roughly $0.45 per day, in contrast to the kerosene methods being powered for at least $0.50 per day. Solar companies like Juabar and M-Kopa Solar are adding roughly 4,000 homes per week through distributed solar power. These companies have thrived due to their respective national governments not taxing them.

Despite the low costs, Africa can be in the position to have an amazing load of capital to help support the region. Let’s not forget the President’s Power Africa initiative, bolstering an impressive 7 billion dollars from the U.S. alone to support Africa up until 2018. Along with another 9 billion from the private sector, there is no doubt that Africa has the pieces in place to implement a carbon free energy base. The only issue with Power Africa is that it does include U.S. government contributions to the oil and gas industry. We want to see this reworked to contribute solely to renewable energy developments.

Let’s not ignore the other values of having this type of energy structure in place. This method of distributed power prevents the issues associated with the U.S.’s current environmental justice movement.  Of course, the carbon distribution will be relieved without the issue of having carbon-based plants near homes. In addition, it brings the power and influence in decision to the community. People are signing up for this because they can apply the power as needed (by purchasing it) and understand its implementation. Unlike the disrespect and the lack of inclusion African-Americans currently face in the U.S. (Wright, Living in Cancer Alley), Africans are able to choose between unhealthy indoor pollution and sustainable energy sources. Another company called Sun Edison just recently hosted a New York webinar yesterday called the “Eradication of Darkness.” The focus is to really use science and investments to develop mini-grids for African communities. An article by CleanTechnica shows how businesses are truly focused on educating African communities on energy use. CleanTechnica noted that representatives emphasized giving communities a true knowledge base to operate their equipment.

Hopefully we can see Africa serve as the energy model for the world to see. The lack of infrastructure development could be a blessing in disguise for the environmental justice movement. From a recent visit I had with President Olafur Grimmson of Iceland, we hope that President Obama sees his Power Africa initiative as a shining example of how community oriented business should be in America.