Page - 176 - in Clean Water Using Solar and Wind - Outside the Power Grid

176 Clean Water Using Solar and Wind: Outside the Power Grid The share of solar PV is expected to increase six times, up to 7% of the global power generation in 2030. Some even more optimistic predictions say 13%. Naturally, this will require a combination of technology development, policy development and active financing instruments and investments. The ownership of power production is going through a crucial change. Electric power systems were once dominated by monolithic state agencies and large corporations. With small-scale power generation there is now an increasing number of owners and producers. This will also change attitudes and responsibilities for the systems. Individual welfare issues like personal health and education as well as climate benefits have been emphasised and should not be underestimated. Solar PV and wind have limited water requirements; instead they are power sources for water supply and water reuse. It is apparent that prices for both power generation and energy storage will fall rapidly. However, cost and availability of capital will still be a major challenge since most of the price tag for renewables is up-front capital cost. There are obvious reasons to look carefully at the potential development of sub-Saharan regions. IRENA (2013) is an informative account of the development of renewables in Africa. IEA has produced African Energy Outlook, the first of its kind to provide a far-reaching picture of the energy situation in sub-Saharan countries today and in the future (IEA, 2017d). This region contains 13% of the global population, but only 4% of its energy demand. However, since 2000 energy use in the region has risen by 45%, which is one indicator of rapid economic growth. As noted in Section 1.3, grid connections are often unreliable. This makes it necessary to invest in costly private use of backup generators running on diesel or gasoline. IEA predicts that 70% of those gaining access to electricity in rural areas by 2040 will be connected to mini- grids or off-grid systems. A gloomy prediction, however, is that more than 500 million people, mainly in rural areas, will still be without electricity in 2040. IEA predicts that around two-thirds of the off- grid and mini-grid rural systems in 2040 will be powered by solar PV, wind or hydropower. Renewable systems will be increasingly competitive compared to diesel generators. Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/ebooks/book-pdf/520710/wio9781780409443.pdf by IWA Publishing user