Why Africa is on the brink of solar power revolution
By Verity Bowman, The Telegraph.
Excerpt: The continent’s tremendous potential could soon be unlocked by a widespread shift to renewable energy. ...Making perishable harvests last is the key to surviving periods of hardship, but without access to electricity it can be extremely difficult. An unassuming white shipping container adorned with solar panels may be the solution. These solar-powered mobile cold-stores are popping up across Africa, from Kenya to Ghana and Nigeria, allowing farmers to protect their harvests from the elements and stave off hunger. ...With access to electricity soaring and the cost of solar panels falling rapidly, experts say the continent is on the brink of an energy revolution similar to the one that transformed the Gulf States in the 1970s. ...Last year, a record number of solar panels were installed in Africa, and in April the World Bank and African Development Bank launched an initiative to expand electricity access to 300 million more people by 2030. It’s part of a global shift towards solar power. ...Over the past four decades, the price of solar panels has plummeted by a staggering 99 per cent, a development heralded as a triumph for renewable energy....