By Joyce Moganedi, Solutions Sales Manager – ABB Energy Industries
As the global population continues to grow, energy demand also rises. To meet this increasing demand, it is crucial to integrate renewable sources into the energy mix. Among these renewable sources, solar power is playing a vital role in building a more sustainable future with lower emissions.
According to Statista, the global solar power sector is expected to grow by 7.3 percent annually between 2024-2029. The study also explains that among developing countries, Africa and the sub-Saharan region will see an exponential increase in energy demand in the coming years and with many households still in need of electricity, scaling up solar power projects using automation and digital solutions from partners like ABB can help bridge the gap.
However, balancing renewable power supply with end-user demand is challenging as the share of renewables grows. ABB assists customers throughout the renewable power value chain, including consulting, generation, storage, transmission, monitoring, control, and optimization.
Solar power and Africa
With evolution and technological innovation, the first photovoltaic (PV) or solar cell, which converts light energy to electricity, was invented in 1954.
Today PV panels and concentrated solar power plants (CSP) are used in generating electricity as part of the clean energy transition. CSPs utilize mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight to heat a fluid that drives turbines, and solar home systems (SHS), thereby providing electricity to households.
With 53 percent of Africa’s population still in need of electricity, according to a 2023 report by UN Trade and Development, tapping into the region’s vast resources and opportunities in solar power will help secure its future. But utilizing these resources requires investment in solar power projects and building infrastructure including robust grid systems that help transmit electricity to consumers. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, only two percent of global renewable energy investments went to Africa in the past two decades.
ABB has been supporting the solar power sector since the 1990s with automation, electrification and digitalization solutions, exhibiting technology expertise in how best to harness, control and store solar energy and efficiently convert it into a reliable power source, ready for transfer into the local grid. Let us delve deeper into how ABB is enabling the solar power projects in Africa.
Supporting the solar revolution
ABB’s portfolio of products, systems and solutions for the solar power industry is extensive and cater for industrial and home use. Photovoltaic applications focus on delivering continuous operation, higher reliability, and return on investments.
In Africa, ABB has supported several solar power projects as the automation and electrical solutions provider. ABB has supplied state-of-the-art ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus SCADA automation platform which is an open, flexible and scalable platform which serves as a reliable and secure platform for solar applications.
Solar power is a bright spot in Africa’s energy landscape holding a promise to illuminate many more lives. And ABB’s design, engineering and commissioning capabilities will help harness this untapped clean energy and secure the region’s future.
