Author: NJ Ayuk

A quarter of the way into the 21st century, digital technology has infiltrated the daily lives of billions of people to an incredible degree across the globe — but not everywhere, yet. As digital penetration rapidly nears 100% in many parts of the world, the fastest-growing markets are in developing countries where even simple electricity is hardly an assured thing. Perhaps the greatest potential is in the African market, where penetration remains shallow, and demand is skyrocketing. Simply put, there’s nowhere to go but up. Although electrification has been stubbornly slow to spread across the continent thus far, internet usage…

South Africa has been setting a positive example for its approach to ensuring a just energy transition. Not only is South Africa embracing renewables energy projects, but it is also wisely pursuing several proactive measures to generate the necessary funding. One such approach is the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP), which focused on incentivizing private-sector investment in biomass, wind, and small hydro. The government operated the program between 2011 and 2015 to address energy poverty and extend access to clean electricity. This effort gave South Africa over 6,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable generation capacity. Due to its…