Africa Energy - A Tip of the Iceberg Overview

The status of energy supply and potential for exploitation of energy flows on the African continent in states between the ‘Maghreb’ in the north and borders of Republic of South Africa is charted out. To facilitate the analysis of the energy situation, the continent is divided into 6 sections and the energy sectors of each country are sub-divided as well: Hydroelectric power, Oil & Gas, Mining, Agriculture, and Renewable energy resources. The first part contains the land facts pertaining to a particular country’s energy situation. The analytical part of the work draws upon data in Land facts section plus some fresh references to trace out the energy belts of the continent and facilitate drawing of the energy maps. Calculations follow to estimate the densities of installed power and power potential vis-à-vis each country’s total area. A comparison of the power densities results in the scale-up factor, the bridge between present and future degrees of industrialization, whose magnitude is indicative of the land’s project engineering potential. The sheer magnitudes point to the scope for engineering activity – hydel in the central mass (where insolation stays diminished due to dense forest cover restricting water vapor’s evaporation and causing cloudiness), oil and gas offshore sites on the continent’s coastal sides, the grand coal patches, geothermal resources in the south and east and wind energy in the Horn of Africa and Sub-Sahara. Bioenergy potential from its myriad forms that straddle the continent from west to east and in pockets in the south.