According to the Global Wind Industry Council, the continent of Africa will see its wind power generation capacity double over the coming four years. What’s more, if growth forecasts hold up, another 33 GW of capacity could be available in the subsequent five years.
With the help of powerful industry players like Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, and Aurora Wind Power, wind power could contribute substantially to the continent’s local power needs. Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Industry Council, said:
“Africa has a unique opportunity to leap-frog obsolete fossil fuel generation and create the power generation it needs from wind power and other renewables technologies. If we can help create the right regulatory frameworks and knowledge transfer, Africa’s growing economies will soon be powered by cheap, efficient wind power.”
At a current capacity of 5.3 GW, the African wind power sector is still relatively undeveloped when compared to global capacity. Despite advances in wind power from turbine makers and lubricants, such as Mobil SHC Gear 320 WT from Mobil stockists, the intermittent nature of wind power generation has deterred local African governments from boosting their wind power capacity. Improvements in storage technology, however, have enabled excess wind power to be stored for use in periods of higher demand or lower wind speeds.
Of the 55 nations on the continent, 34 have laid down targets for renewable energy generation. With wind power becoming increasingly competitive, it could represent an economical source of electricity for the growing African economies.