Implement photovoltaic in Gabon

Introduction  Compared to the rest of the world, there is a general shortage of energy related information in Africa  Gabon is one of the biggest electricity consumer in Africa but the demand exceeds the production  Solar energy is increasingly recognized as a potential solution. Solar electricity generators became less expensive

Country energy Profile  Gabon is a mature oil producing country off the coast of West Africa that has been facing declining oil production for over a decade.  Oil undergirds Gabon's economy, accounting for 65% of government revenue and 75% of export revenue, according to the African Economic Outlook  Gabon's domestic power sector is underdeveloped and lacks the infrastructure required to capitalize on its natural resources, as less than 50% of the population is connected to the electricity grid

Cont’d  Société d'Electricité et d'Eaux du Gabon (SEEG), Gabon's national utility company, owns and runs Gabon's electricity sector.  The French Company Vivendi currently owns 51% of SEEG and is responsible for electricity generation and distribution in Gabon.  Conventional thermal power (1.0 billion kilowatthours (KWh)) and hydroelectricity (0.8 billion Kwh) account for nearly all of the country's net generation, with biomass and waste accounting for a small amount (0.007 KWh), according to the latest EIA estimates in 2010.

Photovoltaic energy  Gabon's urban areas consume a majority of the power generated, while electricity access in rural areas remains low.  As of 2009, Gabon's countrywide electrification rate was 36.7%, and 900,000 people were without electricity, according to the latest figures from the International Energy Agency.  Gabon has approximately 6,000 MW of undeveloped hydropower potential, which if exploited, could substantially increase the country's electrification rate.  However, the country's main business hubs have suffered from blackouts in the past due to low levels of rainfall.

The reasons for investing in solar energy  Oil energy is expensive and is dependent of the oil price fluctuations  The solar energy is abundant and reachable everywhere in Africa  There is no infrastructure for nuclear energy and it would be very expensive to implement nuclear  Hydraulic already exist in Gabon but is not enough for the local demand  Solar energy would be the best alternative to generators used in the rural area of Africa that are expensive and polluting because it consumes oil.  There can be any conflict linked to the solar resource compared to oil  Solar energy is free and is potentially useful for the contrie’s development

The project  Joint venture between the Gabonese government and the Nigerian company Genesis Electricity ltd  The contract of SEEG, the main electricity provider in Gabon would end by the end of 2014, thus it would be a good way to retake the management of the electric system and adapt it to the local needs  Solar electricity generators would initially be imported to Gabon through the facilities of an existing Nigerian company: Genesis Electricity LTD and progressively be produced locally via public/private partnerships and private initiatives

Genesis Electricity ltd Genesis Electricity  Genesis ElectricityLimited (GEL) is a full-service energy company providing a broad spectrum of energy solutions to clients across Africa. Its strong network of globally and locally recognized contacts as well as carefully cultivated relationships internationally, has enabled the company to consistently exceed its assets development projections.

The challenges  The success of this project mainly depends on two factors: -The technological comparative advantage of solar energy with respect to other sources of energy -The capacity of solar electricity to boost African economies and to initiate a virtuous circle of economic development.

The challenges (cont’d)  The solar electricity is implemented in a difficult political context because of corruption  Evaluate local governments’ capacity to coordinate the implementation of solar electricity and respect the terms of the joint venture and eradicate corruption