This week, more than half of the African leaders gathered in Tanzania's vast seaside Dar Es Salam, promising that the largest power spending in African history will increase.
World Banks and African Development Bank are promised at least $ 35 billion to expand their power throughout the continent, where electricity cannot be used. Approximately half of the funds are donated to the mini -grid, a solar power generation that provides services to individual communities. Loans are given at an interest rate below market interest rates, which is an important condition because global financial institutions often impose much higher interest rates in Africa due to risks.
In an interview, the World Bank Governor Ajai Banga said in a comprehensive word that economic development satisfies society stability and basic human rights. “Without electricity, we can't get work, medical care, and skills,” he said. He said the success of electrification was “all the foundation.”
The Summit promise is to supply electricity within just six years of unattracted 600 million people in Africa. The number reaches an average of 5 million per month. Banga said that the World Bank alone had not yet reached a million per month.
Despite the unusual states of political will, many people, especially in the African power sector, have expressed deep skepticism. In fact, some have pointed out that there is no need to look at the host country, Tanzania, to find a warning story.
Recently, Husque Power Systems, the world's largest solar power development company based in Colorado, sells electricity at the same price as government -operated power companies that have received a lot of subsidies. The store in Tanzania was closed because he claimed to do.
According to Husk, the price was unable to benefit, and the company spent millions of dollars and sold huge losses. Some are left as they are, but they have disappeared. Others are dismantled and sold as spare parts.
This is a fact, despite the fact that Tanzania looked like an ideal market for Husk when he arrived in Tanzania in 2015. At that time, the new President John Magfuri had won the nickname “Bulldozer” in both road construction and corruption control. Only one -third of the Tanzanians were connected to the transmission network.
With the withdrawal of the Husk, thousands of people who were willing to pay for the higher price of Husk became less powerful and dissatisfied. Among them, there are Mowajuma Mohamed and their families who live in MatiPuiri. In Mati Piiri, about 200 houses and companies were temporarily supplied by Husk's solar power mini grid, but are now dusty.
“When electricity came, she suddenly seemed to be an ordinary person,” she said, guiding visitors a dark house. The first thing she bought was television, but she is now returning to the box she was in. I feel like I wasted money. “
Tanzania's Minister of Energy said in an interview that some mini -grid operators were artificially charged high rates, although Husk did not. “We don't intend to struggle for everyone,” he said. “But it is the government's role to judge what is reasonable.”
Finance companies are trying to work on this issue from the front. The loan implemented this week by the World Bank and African Development Bank is often a regulation reform in which private power companies can compete more freely with state -owned power companies. Tanzania is one of the 12 countries signed this “agreement” at the summit. Another 18 will be added in the next few months.
In addition to solar mini grids, almost the same amount of funds is invested mainly on the extension of the existing power network supplied by hydropower and fossil fuels.
However, the stunning cost of solar power generation has dropped in China's amazing growth as a country of producing inexpensive and high -quality solar panels will be the main factor that enables this mission. Solar power is not only a more affordable price, but also has the additional time that it takes much shorter time to introduce it than to build dams and power plants, and does not discharge greenhouse gases.
“That's the technology and price, so this is now being realized,” said Radi Shah, who leads the Rockefeller Foundation, which invests tens of millions of dollars in renewable energy projects in developing countries. Ta. “Nearly 30 people's head of state are gathered here because they recognize that this is the fastest and low cost method to create employment and prevent the increased instability in their own country.”
After Husk stopped MatiPuiri's mini grid, a telephone pole, which supplies power from the state -owned power company Tanesco, has arrived in the village. However, customers say that the number of services is only a quarter, and the service is inferior. As with all of the dozens of African power companies, Tanzania's electric power companies have a huge amount of loss and lack of maintenance, causing frequent and long -term power outages.
“If you use a husk, you've purchased a package at a set price and used as much power as you want, so people like me started doing business,” said the village chairman Gesensenda Mwise Gesenda. I talked. Gesenda Mwise Gesenda uses Tanesco connection to refrigerate the beverages sold. “If you use a tanesco, it will actually cost you three times the same amount of electricity. Either the meter will go up more and more, or in some cases a few days, or in some cases.”
MatiPuiri's experience explains why the lender is increasingly supporting the distributed electrification. “What we see here is that in many places where the grid is not present, expanding the grid is less cost -effective, at least compared to solar power mini -grids. It is recognized that there is no, “said Ashbin. Dayal leads the Rockefeller Foundation's electricity and climate change programs.
Funding the mission stated that the government has clarified the government's governments that money alone cannot solve the problem and that the change of regulations can attract more than $ 35 billion this week.
Banga said when he attended a climate and energy summit held in Kenya last year, where he met with African leaders. “I told them,” Everyone, do you want to continue your current work for another few years? “I have to promise the quality of work and life. I can help you. But you need to stand on the plate.
The supply of multilateral funds is not guaranteed 100%. That's not only because of concerns about the country that receives assistance. The new administration of Washington, which is openly hostile to both renewable energy and overseas assistance, has a great influence on who is the largest contribution to the World Bank and who operates the institution. It alone causes uncertainty to the core funding of the world bank. With the retirement Biden administration has decided at the last minute, the bank has been accumulating enough development money to provide funds to the electrification business.
Mr. Banga is cautious about the possibility of achieving an electricity target in such a short period of time, but he hopes that investment in Dalse Salaam will encourage private equity, government funds, and regional banks. I mentioned.
“It's a big mountain to climb. I can't just order,” said Husk, the highest marketing officer, William Brent. “Husk has built a mini grid a day, which is the fastest in the industry. Even if you add 10 husks, you can only achieve only a small part.”
Husk has built 70 mini grids in Nigeria to establish an easy -to -accept regulatory environment. He announced on Monday that he will enter the Democratic Republic of Congo this year.
However, in the Dals Salaam, the financial institution and the president were lined up, while the Congo reminded me of the threatening instability. On Monday, Rwanda's supported anti -government occupied the sesame city of Congo, where some of the same funding providers supporting new initiatives supported a mini -grid project.
The city collapses, the government breaks the promise, and the debt accumulates. The lenders know that they are still facing the same fundamental problem that many countries have been restricted in African infrastructure and many countries are economically fleeing.
However, a shortage of power is not simply squeezing the economy. In a world where more than 90 % of people have electricity, it is difficult to have no electricity.
In other words, there is no internet, speakers for playing music, cold beer from refrigerator, and children to do homework.
When Husk came to MatiPuiri, the eight children's mother, Masab Ali (45 years old), were more than one of the most high -scored daughters in the village junior high school. She imagined that she was studying late at night.
After the electricity became unusable, the daughter fell to third place. Ali is currently renting a small solar panel on the rooftop for about 20 cents a day, but the light is dim, and it does not work on a cloudy day without a battery that stores power. The children sleep as soon as the sun goes down. And she has laid her dream of how she can support them with just a little power.
“My plan was to open an ice cream store,” Ali said, surrounded by his family, sitting outside the house. The outside has already become dark, and one outdoor light bulb, which is supplying power from the rented panel, has begun to blink. “What should I say? That is the idea.”