Beitrag vom 08.08.2014

The Christian Science Monitor

Why Obama is spending billions on clean energy to ‘Power Africa'

The Obama administration is pushing green energy in Africa, hoping the continent will bypass coal on its road to development. But some say it's not realistic - or ethical - to expect emerging economies to sidestep fossil fuels.

By Jared Gilmour, Staff writer

Washington
Can a developing continent leapfrog dirtier fuels on its way to providing electricity for 600 million inhabitants without it?

The Obama administration hopes Africa can, and is spending billions to support access to cleaner energy on the continent. But not everybody is convinced the administration's "Power Africa” plan - with its emphasis on intermittent resources like wind and solar - is an effective way to combat energy poverty.

If successful, Africa could serve as an example of how developing populations can boost quality of life without relying on the carbon-heavy coal that fueled growth in the industrialized world. Many parts of rural Africa are naturally well-equipped for a power grid that is more decentralized and renewable-based than Europe's or North America's.

If, on the other hand, African nations and other emerging economies follow their predecessors into fossil fuel-based economies, there would be little hope of reining in the runaway global emissions of heat-trapping gases that cause climate change.

As they look to the future, African nations will have to strike a balance between global climate concerns and local economic prosperity.

"We cannot meet the continent's needs with just green energy,” says Mwangi Kimenyi, director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.

"The fact that the US and some investors are focusing on clean energy should not preclude other investors from going toward oil, coal, and other energy,” Mr. Kimenyi says in a telephone interview Thursday.

At this week's US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, President Obama pledged an additional $300 million to expand energy access throughout sub-Saharan Africa. That's on top of a $7 billion Power Africa initiative Mr. Obama unveiled last summer. The aim? Double access to electricity in six African countries, powering 60 million homes and businesses.