Tanzania should promote renewable energy in generation of electricity instead of expensive sources like diesel and hydro-power.
World Future Council Director, Mr Ansgar Kiene
Speaking during the launching of an innovative policy guide, the World Future Council Director, Mr Ansgar Kiene, said that Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFITs) policies were a promising mechanism to unlock renewable energy development in Africa.
“Tanzania has already opened its electricity market to independent power producers since 1992. It’s experience, particularly with mini-grids should be seen as an advantage when it comes to drafting supportive frameworks for accelerated renewable energy production,” he explained.
The World Future Council presented a new study that showed the REFITs are most successful when they are an integral part of a country’s wider development strategy. The findings of the study showed that high level political support and strong buy-ins from civil society and the private sector are crucial factors for the successful development and implementation of a REFIT.
“This policy encourages investment in the generation of renewable energy – from individual home owners and communities as well as big companies – by guaranteeing to buy and pay the electricity that is produced from renewable sources,” the report read in part.
The study also showed that when tailored to local conditions, REFIT policies help increase the overall energy production. REFITs have been successful at increasing the use of renewable technologies world where in 2012, some 65 countries implemented some form of a REFIT, driving 64 per cent of global wind installations and 87 per cent of the photovoltaic capacity that has been installed worldwide.
While the majority of these installations have occurred in industrialised countries, particularly Europe, the African continent still has significant untapped renewable energy potential. Mr Kiene said that the report identifies a variety of national and international measures to shift financial resources towards renewable energy uptake.
One of the participants who referred not to be named said that the biggest problem that many good policies don’t work in the country is simply because there are just too many of them and difficult to implement because of the large number.
The 155 page report which is aimed at African policy makers, civil society and the private sector, provides an in-depth analysis of existing and drafted REFIT policies in 13 African countries namely Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Others are Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
By MASEMBE TAMBWE, Tanzania Daily News
