Does Africa lack renewable energy regulation?

Too much regulation?

It has been theorised that one reason why Africa has energy issues is due to a lack of regulation, especially in areas like renewable energy.

However when countries like the US have yet to actually enact a decent clean energy policy, with the current Bill being debated in Congress, why should the world expect less developed countries to be able to implement a green energy policy?

African countries such as Nigeria already have an uphill struggle, with less than 40 percent of the population having access to electricity but have the potential to generate about 500,000 MW of electricity from renewable sources. However regulations are standing in their way.

"Policy framework is policy in the highest level"

Speaking at the second International Workshop on RE for Sustainable Development this week, the Energy Commission of Nigeria's (ECN) director general Abubakar Sambo said, "The necessary policy framework is not there, and what I mean by policy framework is policy in the highest level."

"The only way out is to integrate full-blown renewable energy sources into the electricity generation scheme of the nation."

Despite this, the country has failed to implement a solid RE plan and as such, renewable energy efforts have stalled. Different countries in Africa have evolved policies and programs aimed at effective exploitation of renewable energy resources in the region, Sambo said. Although there have been some success stories, he maintained that the optimal potentials of these resources remain largely under-utilised.

At least African countries are actively trying, which makes the US look all that more impotent in the face of developed countries making an all out investment in renewable technology. However the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has given the renewable energy sector the excuse it needs to push for hard change.

Currently the energy bill has been described as ‘pared-down' with incentives for natural gas vehicles and denying drilling rights to any company that has 10 or more deaths in the last 7 years on offshore or land based wells.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said of the bill, "our plan will lower energy costs for homeowners and create at least 150,000 jobs by investing US$5 billion in Home Star, a bipartisan energy efficiency program . . . Our plan will lessen our dependence on oil by promoting the manufacturing and deployment of clean vehicles that use natural gas and electricity."

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