In June 2020, Somalia''s largest electricity provider, BECO, announced the opening of a new solar power plant in the capital city of Mogadishu. BECO is the only company that provides electricity for Mogadishu, Afgooye, Balad, Barawe, Kismayu, Marka, Jowhar and Elasha. Although the company turned to solar power primarily to cut down on the cost of diesel fuel, its decision will have the added benefit of lowering air pollution. Additionally, BECO''s solar power plant will grow in capacity over time and lower electricity bills. BECO’s solar power plant could have a significant impact on Somalis, lifting many out of poverty.
Lack of access to electricity is widely cited as a large contributor to poverty. Without electricity, families don''t have a non-polluting source of energy for cooking. Refrigerators are unusable. Children can''t do their homework after dark. Communities can''t access all that the Internet offers for education and upward mobility. Hospitals and schools can''t offer full services. As a result, increasing access to electricity is often a goal of development efforts.
Somalia has particularly struggled with a lack of access to electricity. Before the civil war broke out in 1991, Somalia had a national power grid that produced 70 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the whole country. But the power grid was destroyed during the war and private corporations now provide any electricity available to residents. Currently, BECO produces 35 MW of power for eight cities, which is much less than its demand of 200 MW. Many Somalis avoid using electricity in order to avoid the monthly costs as 69% of Somalis are currently living in poverty.
Power companies in Somalia heavily rely on imported fossil fuels for diesel-powered generators. These generators are CO2 emitters and can heavily pollute the air. Despite the widespread use of generators, Somalia has only 106 MW of power nationwide, according to the United States Agency on International Development. The World Bank reported in 2018 that 64% of Somalis didn''t have access to electricity.
Because Somalia struggles with a lack of electricity and high electric costs, BECO''s new solar power plant has the potential to positively impact many people''s lives. When it opened, the power plant had the capacity to produce 8 MW. The solar power plant is only in use four hours a day, with BECO''s preexisting generators providing the rest of the electricity that the city needs. But residents'' electric bills have already gone down.
With the addition of the solar power plant, electricity costs in Mogadishu have already dropped from $0.49 to $0.36 per kilowatt-hour. BECO had originally decided to invest in solar power because of the high cost of importing diesel fuel for generators. By cutting costs, the company can offer cleaner energy at a more affordable price.
BECO plans to invest $40 million to bring the plant''s capacity to 100 MWp by 2022. This increase would enable the power plant to produce more electricity than twice its current output. However, the success of the solar plant will depend on battery storage.
BECO''s solar power plant is just the first step in Somalia''s possible path toward renewable energy. The African Development Bank reported in a study that Somalia had a greater potential for renewable energy than any other country in Africa. Onshore wind power could produce up to 45,000 MW of electricity. Solar energy has the potential to produce 2,000 kWh/m². If other Somali electric companies follow BECO’s example, Somalia''s electrical production could increase many times over.
It''s fortunate that in Somalia''s case, solar power is more affordable than the alternative. Simple market forces might solve Somalis'' lack of access to electricity. Although constructing facilities to produce solar power is expensive, companies would be able to provide electricity more cheaply and easily if they switch from importing fossil fuels to renewable energy. As a result of this cost decrease, electric bills would drop considerably as well. Once electricity becomes significantly cheaper, more Somalis will be able to access its benefits. BECO''s solar power plant is already reducing costs, and there''s no reason to believe that this trend won''t continue.
– Sarah Brinsley Photo: Flickr
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The collapse of Somalia''s central government in 1991 and the subsequent absence of law and order removed any restraints on tree cutting in the East African state. Businesses and individuals took their machetes to the forest and began chopping down trees indiscriminately, to use as firewood or to produce charcoal for sale and export.
According to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization, Somalia lost nearly 30% of its forest cover between 1990 and 2020, a disaster for environmentalists seeking to preserve wildlife, stem global warming and halt desertification. During much of the 2010s, says the U.N., an estimated 4.4 million trees were cut down annually in Somalia to produce some 250,000 tons of charcoal, most of it exported to Saudi Arabia and other states on the Arabian Peninsula.
The extent of the tree cutting was so alarming that in 2012, the U.N. Security Council banned the export of charcoal from Somalia. But sales by the militant group al-Shabab and individuals simply trying to make a living have continued.
According to the Somali government, traditional biomass fuels — mainly firewood and charcoal — account for 82% of Somalia''s total energy consumption. The government acknowledges "overdependence on unsustainable energy sources" for the majority of the population.
However, in the past few years, attitudes toward deforestation have begun to change, leading some Somalis to embrace alternate sources of energy. Progress is slow, but advocates say it is being made.
Abdiraham Ali Ahmed has seen his business, Hass Petroleum, grow slowly since he began importing liquified petroleum gas, or LPG, to Mogadishu in 2008.
"When we started importing gas, the entire city was using about 20 tons. Now we bring in 1,500 tons, so there is a marked increase," Ahmed said. He said his company now delivers gas to other towns, including Baidoa, Marka and Afgoye.
He says LPG, which is often used as a cooking fuel, has been embraced by many restaurants in the capital. The company estimates that 30 percent of restaurants now use LPG but among the general population, the use of LPG is small, no more than 8%.
Ahmed blames lack of awareness about LPG and its advantages as a clean burning, easy-to-use, cost-efficient fuel — and one that does not strip Somalia of its tree cover.
"People who bring charcoal do that at no cost," he said. "They cut a tree that does not belong to them, they bring it to the market at $3, and they sell it at $10. We sell the can of gas at $20. If people were to be shown that gas is healthier and quicker to cook, helps the climate, and prevents damage and erosion, the consumption would be greater," he said.
In the northeastern port town of Bosaso, Sahal Gas head Abdilatif Abdullahi Nur has been importing LPG for 10 years.
He said his company has 10,000 to 15,000 customers in each of the five cities they operate.
"We passed the awareness and training period. This time, people come to our office and they call us seeking gas service," he said. "Now a lot of trees have been spared. It could come to a stage when no trees are cut, and that benefits the environment and climate."
The people who produce charcoal need a market, he said. He argues that if they see demand dwindling, they will realize they are going out of business, and they might move on to another business initiative.
Last month, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed inaugurated the first gas storage facility in Mogadishu, which officials hope could lead to increased consumption.
Another source of energy gaining traction in Somalia is solar power. One of the biggest electricity companies in Mogadishu, BECO, set up a solar plant to supplement and, in the long run, potentially replace diesel generators that individuals and businesses have been using for decades, the company said.
"Now we reduced relying on diesel generators because BECO alone has set up a 72-megawatt solar grid," said Mohamed Farah Ali, the company''s chief engineer and head of research and development.''''
''''In Mogadishu, currently we are using 36% of our generation from solar in the daytime and 18% overall. Our target is 80% in the daytime and close to 50% in the nighttime," he said.
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