CONTEXT AND RATIONALE
Africa is endowed with abundant renewable energy resource potential in solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectricity and geothermal which need to be utilized to provide energy needed for the growing African population. Africa is also rich in critical minerals such as lithium, graphite and cobalt which are essential to produce batteries, wind turbines and other low-carbon technologies that are crucial for Renewable Energy technologies. Africa has seen a high uptake in Solar Energy (especially solar PV) and distributed renewable energy systems which has been possible due to the reduction in global prices for renewable energy technologies.
Many programs and projects have been implemented at the national, regional and continental level to accelerate the development and uptake of renewable energy solutions in Africa with the aim of accelerating the access to clean energy for the African population.
AFREC is currently working on “The Africa Energy Transition programme” which is envisioned to transform energy development in Africa, driven by AU Agenda 2063, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 1.5° goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The programme aims to provide a clear understanding of transformations of the energy system needed in the short, medium and long term to achieve the energy transition in Africa by identifying frameworks to support the development of sectoral and technological detailed, policy-relevant and country-driven strategies consistent with the national development agenda and the Paris Agreement goal. One of the key strategies in the programme is the development of the renewable energy sector in alignment with the Paris Agreement, to exploit Africa’s great potential for solar, wind, hydropower and other renewable sources, and build African capacity for developing these technologies thus helping AU Member States transition from using fossil fuels to renewable source of energy.
Renewable energy is critical for the improvement of the African Energy sector and the provision of access to sustainable energy solutions. To ensure effective energy system planning, monitoring and evaluation of projects and programs in Africa, it is necessary for Member States to have quality, harmonized and updated renewable energy statistics. The African Energy Commission (AFREC) offers technical assistance to member states on renewable energy statistics production and strives to strengthen the capacities of the African statistical system (AfSS) to produce quality and up-to-date renewable energy statistics. To this end, it then becomes imperative for AFREC to analyze the process of the production of statistics on renewable energy by the Member States of the African Union and discuss the challenges they encounter in the production of renewable energy statistics in particular data sources.
Availability of renewable energy statistics enables member states to produce information which enables them to know their status on meeting the Paris Agreement Climate Goal and produce their Climate reports which include the National Communications report and the Biennial Transparency reports. The member states can identify the mitigation component in their countries, they are also able to approximate the levels of abatement of emissions in the energy sector as well as calculate the current and forecasted future levels of Green House Gas emissions. The availability of renewable energy statistics allows for energy modelling to identify alternative development pathways and the potential risks and benefits each path provides. Several indicators can also be produced which include the share of renewable energy in the Total Primary Energy Supply of a nation. All this information is vital in the future development of a nation and in the development of future policies and strategies for member states.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Webinar are:
- Present the best experiences in the production of renewable energy statistics;
- Discuss the challenges encountered by African Union member states in the production of renewable energy statistics;
- Discuss data sources for the production of renewable energy statistics, particularly surveys and administrative sources;
- Discuss the development of an African methodology in the production of renewable energy statistics;
- Present the experiences of international organizations in producing renewable energy statistics.
EXPECTED RESULTS
The expected results are:
- Best experiences on the production of renewable energy statistics are presented;
- The challenges encountered by African Union member states in the production of renewable energy statistics known;
- Data sources for the production of renewable energy statistics, notably censuses, surveys and administrative sources, are identified;
- Roadmap for the development of an African methodology for the production of renewable energy statistics is identified;
- The experiences of international organizations in producing renewable energy statistics are known.
PARTICIPANTS
Participants are the main stakeholders in the energy sector of African States, particularly the renewable energy sector, national and international institutions, the private sector, academia/researchers, civil society organizations, young people, students, etc.
PANELISTS
Panellists will come from the following Member States and institutions:
- Egypt (10 minutes)
- Tunisia (10 minutes)
- Ghana (10 minutes)
- Morocco (10 minutes)
- ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) (10 minutes)
- IRENA (15 minutes)
DATE
The webinar will take place ONLINE on Thursday, June 27, 2024, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Algiers time).
LINK TO REGISTER
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArd-irrz4uG9DmCGES9x-RlD_-c82MEZ6O
