Our grantee WoMin and 350Africa.org have released a report conducted by University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre called “Renewable Energy in Africa: An opportunity in a time of crisis.” This report provides a critical landscape overview of the status of renewable energy development in Africa, with a focus on 10 countries and provides key leverage points for activism and advocacy in these countries. It looks at the country-specific progresses and warns against potential pitfalls of renewable energy development that could have serious effects on the very communities that stand to be empowered. It highlights the renewable energy potential of the sun and the wind for Africa as an opportunity to largely leapfrog using fossil fuels for electricity production in these times of crisis.
In the report, WoMin includes the following guidelines so that renewable energy projects are not extractive or destructive and protect the human rights of communities. The group urges that the following be taken into account:
- Affected community(ies’) involvement in the project process, in particular full respect for their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). The right of communities, and women within them specifically, to withhold their consent from a project must be emphasised.
- Environmental and social impacts (with a very particular focus on women) to be assessed, made public in an accessible language and through appropriate forums for full consultation with affected people, before final approval by government. If impacts are considered to be grave, particularly for excluded groups like women, projects should not be authorised to proceed.
- Renewable energy should be sited and constructed in a way that reduces negative impacts. In constructing renewable energy infrastructure, we need to be sensitive to the ecological and community impacts, and ensure the benefits are shared equitably.
- Cost benefit analyses are needed and should be conducted by independent and multi-sector teams. The analyses should also address other options for how to deliver the stated project goals. Climate and ecology should be included in any cost benefit analysis.
- That community(ies) have the opportunity and ability to to collectively own all or part of the project and benefit from the energy produced. Women and young people in the community should be supported to participate in socialised ownership schemes.
Read the full report here.