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Norwegian aid for a renewable future

The world must have access to renewable and sustainable energy. A new report from WWF Uganda gives the Norwegian authorities an important clue as to how future energy assistance should be organized. 




(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)

Recently, Norwegian authorities marked 25 years of energy cooperation with Uganda. A Multiconsult report that was commissioned by Norad for the occasion shows that much has happened during these years. Norway has supported increased renewable electricity production, and has helped to strengthen and extend the power grid to new parts of the country. These are big steps in the right direction – because if Uganda is to succeed in meeting its energy needs with renewable energy within 2050, more clean electricity must be produced and the central grid needs to be expanded. But this is far from enough in a country where 90 percent of energy consumption currently comes from wood and charcoal. Decentralized energy solutions and a modern boiler sector also need space.

100 percent. A renewable future is possible. Earlier this winter, WWF released Uganda's "Energy Report for Uganda", which shows that the country can become 100 percent renewable in 35 years. This gives hope for a future where poverty reduction and economic and social development do not have to happen at the expense of nature and climate. The report, which is the first of its kind for an African country, describes a scenario for developing Uganda's energy systems based on renewable energy resources. In the scenario, the entire population of Uganda has access to electricity and modern energy for cooking and heating in 2030. In 2050, 70 per cent of households buy electricity from the central grid, while 30 per cent produce it themselves – from solar cells on rooftops or in local solar power plants.

Compound problems. The energy report shows that the energy crisis in the country is more than electricity shortages (contrary to what we have easy to believe here in Norway). The report points to two unresolved major challenges in the energy sector. Firstly, most people in Uganda cannot afford electricity at all, and many will have to wait in vain for the network to be expanded and for them to be afforded to pay for connection. As many as 85 percent of the population of a total of 37 million people are off the grid today. Secondly, the forest in Uganda is the country's most important source of energy (wood and charcoal), but is under so much pressure that it disappears at a rapid pace – with as much as 1,8 per cent every year. Between 1990 and 2010, almost half of it was lost. Deforestation poses a risk to both energy security and nature.

Recommendations for Norway. WWF believes that the challenges in the energy sector in Uganda are not unique, and that the energy report can be used to understand the challenges in other poor sub-Saharan African countries with which Norway cooperates. We have two recommendations to the Norwegian authorities regarding future energy assistance to Uganda and other partner countries:

Each year, around 4,3 million people die from illnesses related to harmful smoke from kerosene lamps and open fireplaces.

Norway should support business development for small and medium-sized businesses that can deliver decentralized energy solutions that people can afford, such as rooftop solar panels and small, local power plants. Without such solutions, Uganda will not be able to achieve the UN's new energy sustainability goals for all.
Norway should assist Uganda in regulating and modernizing the charcoal industry in the country, so that the utilization of forests for charcoal production is greatly reduced and can be sustainable. Norway should also assist Uganda in developing the cooker sector so that cooking can take place on health- and energy-friendly ovens that use modern fuels such as pellets, briquettes and biogas more efficiently.

Resolves multiple issues. A total of 1,3 billion of the world's population does not have access to electricity, and 600 million of them live on the African continent in sub-Saharan countries. Each year, around 4,3 million people die from illnesses related to harmful smoke from kerosene lamps and open fireplaces – more than those who die from AIDS and malaria altogether. Renewable and sustainable energy – which reaches everyone who needs it – delivers several important solutions at the same time: increased wealth, better health, reduced deforestation and combating climate change.

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