- Solar Power Africa 2022 event is dedicated solely to Solar Power and Energy storage
- The attendees will gain direct access to expert solutions and insights to key trends, challenges, and development strategies in the solar energy renewable market
- The event’s organisers are the Messe Frankfurt, one of the world’s largest trade fairs, congress and event organizers
Solar energy in Africa
The Solar Power Africa conference and exhibition will happen at the Cape Town International Convention Center from 16th-to 18th February 2022. South Africa has launched the first-ever Solar Power Africa Trade Show as the country leads the continent’s drive to the renewable energy transition.
Messe Frankfurt has organised the conference with the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA). SAPVIA was formed to support the development of South Africa’s solar Photovoltaic (PV) industry and create a conducive environment that would develop and secure a sustainable solar-powered future.
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SAPVIA is a nonprofit industry association serving the collective interests of more than 540 of its members across the PV value chain.
Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s largest trade fairs, congress and event organisers. The company employs more than 2,500 people across 30 different locations globally.
Solar Power Africa 2022 event is dedicated solely to Solar Power and Energy storage. The conference expects to attract over 100 exhibitors driving this dynamic market.
The conference is also in partnership with Solar Energy Trade Events (SETS) and North America’s largest and most prestigious event for the solar and energy storage sectors, Solar Power International (SPI).
Do you want to attend the conference? Click on the following links to register!
Conference Registration Exhibition Visitor Registration
Joshua Low, group exhibitions director at Messe Frankfurt, said that solar power is one of the fastest-growing energy sectors in Africa and across the world. “We are seeing increasing uptake as governments and industry transition to renewable energy sources,” he says.
Joshua added that Solar Power Africa would help broker connections and drive the industry to build local capabilities, empower investors, developers and operators to develop the right skills, policy environment and a manufacturing base.
The South African solar photovoltaic (PV) market is increasing exponentially. Solar Power Market outlook expects the solar market to register a CAGR of over 10 per cent from 2021 – 2026, reaching an installed capacity of more than 3.6 GW by 2026, up from 1.48 GW in 2019.
Solar power production in South Africa comes when the country is aligning to reduce carbon emissions through a transition from coal to other clean energy sources. This step is not an easy fit.
South Africa’s commitment to transition from coal to clean energy.
South Africa’s minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, said that the country has committed to jumping the boat to cleaner energy sources. Still, coal will, for some time, be a crucial player in economic growth and employment creation.
Mantashe disclosed that coal accounts for roughly 70 per cent of the primary energy consumption, 75 per cent of electricity to the national grid and 30 per cent of the country’s petroleum liquid fuels.
The transition must speak to the contribution of coal to energy security, a sizeable contribution to the GDP, a large contingent of employees, and other relevant economic factors.” Said Mantashe. “Our climate change plan cannot afford to ignore these national interests. The government must integrate them into our plans to move from high carbon emissions to low carbon emissions.”
Mantashe added that the coal prices stand firm in the international market, costing approximately US$130 per tonne, which raises the hunger and attractiveness for exports, with most of South Africa’s coal going to Pakistan, India and potentially to China.
Africa is sleeping on its wind resource potential of over 59,000 GW.
Africa could also tap into wind energy power generation. Early last year, the Global Wind Energy Council reported that the continent was only tapping 0.01 per cent of its wind power potential.
According to the wind resource data published in October 2020 by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, the technical wind resource potential on the African continent alone is over 59,000 GW, enough to power the continent’s energy demand 250 times over.
Currently, the total wind power capacity in the continent is over 7 GW, which helps to avoid 10.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
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