Renewable energy could transform Africa: UNEP boss

UN Environmental Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner has said renewable energy could transform Africa, where almost half of the people worldwide lacking access to electricity live.

The UNEP boss was speaking on Sunday during a World Environment Day event in the Mathare slums in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, where a football final between two local under-15 boys teams was played as night fell, under LED outdoor lighting powered by a sustainable solar power unit.

Steiner said solar power is a growing source of energy in Kenya with the potential of offering a cost-effective and economically viable solution to power connectivity in homes.

"If 70 percent of Kenya's population does not have access to modern electricity services, then renewable energy is a shortcut because we cannot wait another 50 years for everybody to be connected to the national grid," Steiner said.

"Solar energy has the advantage that it can be simply put up on lamp posts and with one solar panel and from there we can build out," he said.

The Solar Soccer Cup for the local boys was organized by Netherlands-based Philips Lighting to mark the implementation of more than 100 Philips Community Light Centers at football pitches in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

"Having access to sustainable and reliable lighting after dark changes the character of a community entirely," he said.

"That the lighting is solar-powered, and therefore sustainable and reliable, means communities can enjoy these benefits without worry of scarcity or effects of pollution," Steiner said.

The UNEP boss also described renewable energy as "a success story" in Kenya.

The contribution of renewable energy to Kenya's total energy generation has increased from 5.4 percent in 2000 to the current 20 percent.

Kenya's current installed generation capacity is produced through geothermal sources at 46.4 percent, hydro (38.1), thermal (14.8), and wind (0.4). Endit