Biomass and Bioenergy

Background:  Africa is endowed with vast renewable energy resources that can provide solutions to the severe energy issues the continent is experiencing.  Among them, hydropower stands as the cheapest of all and has historically being the most   exploited.   Since   the   last   decade,   the continent is increasingly turning to solar PV and wind to bolster energy security and support rapid economic growth in a sustainable manner. This has been due in large part to improving technology and declining costs of equipment. In comparison, bioenergy which is   currently widely used for cooking and heating is almost untapped as far as power generation is concerned.

Resources: At the difference of widespread solar, bioenergy is only present in large quantities in specific areas where rain is abundant, like Central Africa and parts of West and East Africa. Although less well-off, North Africa and Southern Africa are nevertheless  looking  as  well  at  harnessing  this energy  to  enhance  the  diversification  of  their energy mix. Across Africa, the technical potential for the use of bioenergy  for  power  generation  is  estimated  at 2.631 TWh, with 60% in Central Africa. Bioenergy is usually being exploited in one of its three forms: solid biomass, biogas and biofuels.

Market  Opportunities:  The  current  market  in Africa is still in burgeoning stages. Investments and technologies have essentially been the main obstacles.  Kenya  has  been  experimenting  biogas for few decades. Although they have been unlucky so far, they are still pursuing their development. Other countries like Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Ethiopia have also express interest into  the  industry.  Estimates  suggest  that  South Africa could generate 5% of its electricity from biogas. Should it be exploited through the REIPPP, this will have the potential to transform the whole industry on the continent, like it has been the case for solar and wind.