by Maxwell Chivasa This is the first in a four part series on Solar Energy
Despite a poor turnout by only 11 heads of state and government to the recent World Solar Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe, it was another land mark meeting whose importance matched that of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
In fact the “sun summit”, which sought to promote the renewable energy electrification cause, could be viewed as another step in furthering the goals of the1992 summit.
The objectives of both summits support Agenda 21, an Earth Summit working document which promotes the redressing of past destructive actions and the protection of the environment from ozone layer depletion, global warming, desertification and deforestation.
The absence of other world leaders from the developed countries however, disturbed a few heads of state and government who expected the summit to have a bigger number and support.
Two heads of government expressed concern on the absence of such figures despite invitations having been sent to all world leaders.
Leaders of the world’s nations at the summit — organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) –conveyed similar messages as at the United NationsConference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, particularly on reducing carbon dioxide emission levels through the use of the renewable energy electrification.
Besides raising further environmental awareness among the political leadership, the “sun summit” revisited some of the goals of the Earth Summit, some of which were somewhat fading in the agendas of some countries or governments.
Heads of state and governments or delegations the summit, spoke a common environmentally friendly language – all in support of reduced carbon dioxide emissions from conventional fuels.
Energy analysts observed that solar energy has now assumed greater importance with the new recognition from the political leadership
The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) at last year’s World Solar Congress pointed out that solar power projects would not succeed without recognition from other stakeholders or, more importantly, political and government commitment.
But commitment and recognition alone are not enough. It will be interesting to count how many solar panels will have been installed at the end of the 10-year programme of the World Solar Programme (WSP) and what difference it will make to the disadvantaged communities in the remote areas of the world.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, also chairman of the World Solar Commission (WSC) and host to the world leaders in Harare, was wary of the summit making paper promises to millions of people the world over following the solar process under his stewardship.
“Let me stress, however, that without resources this programme will remain a paper promise, containing nothing but principles and commitments which will fail to stand the test of time,” he said at the close of the summit.
Speaker after speaker, especially from developing countries, appealed for affordable solar technologies in order to achieve practical results saying this can only succeed with new and additional financial resources for the implementation of the programme.
‘It is therefore my sincere hope that this aspect will receive urgent attention and that a financial mechanism for the implementation of the programme will be given priority consideration in the immediate follow-up to this summit,” said Mugabe.
A number of countries are already undertaking research in solar technology and development but such projects have been constrained by a lack of financial resources.
As Botswana’s President Sir Ketumile Masire put it: “The sun goes up and comes down, it does not cost you anything.” But the technology to convert the sun into usable energy — the solar panels and the battery — are beyond the reach of the majority of the rural people who, without an alternative, resort to woodfuel.
Solar energy is the most cost effective as one looks beyond the bounds set by the world’s finite fossil fuel reserves and woodfuel coupled with the resistance to expand nuclear energy. And for the time being energy experts have also warned that there is no other environmentally friendly alternative to solar.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad, a dedicated member of the WSC, said the traditional primary energy sources are unavoidably depletable in the long run.
He warned that the adequacy, sustainability and reliability of energy sources must be discussed and resolved with the need for more policy and resource focus on critical areas, including diversification of energy sources through application of solar and other renewable energy.
Dr Mohamad was also concerned about the funding mechanism which he said could be set up in the form of a solar fund. The World Bank, regional banks and the international community, especially multilateral and bilateral donors, the private sector and corporate entities could spur the establishment of such a fund.
In southern Africa alone, woodfuel accounts for 75percent of the total energy consumption, putting tremendous strain on forest and woodland resources.
“Solar power must be recognised as a national energy resource and not be relegated to something which applies only to the rural disadvantaged. The rich in the developing world who can afford conventional energy must begin to replace this with solar power,” said Dr Mbuende.
But the process of substituting biomass with solar power requires financial resources for research and development. Dr Mbuende appealed for financial support from multilateral agencies and commitment from the developing countries.
SADC is committed to incorporating the world solar programme into its programme of action and playing a leading role in the implementation of the Harare Declaration on solar energy and development.
President Fredrick Chiluba of Zambia, describing solar as clean energy, appealed for a common strategy to achieve tangible results and said there was need for technical support from “our brothers who have the knowhow” as support for the renewable energies would save the environment.
“It is clear that there had been a slow pace in identifying the problem, but the answer lies in what we are doing today,” he said.
President Joachim Chissano of Mozambique described the “sun summit” as a turning point for which humankind was recognising its relationship with the earth and the sun.
He said while it is necessary to promote the use of solar energy, there was need for technology transfer to developing countries and capacity-building. Incentives for the solar industry were also important to achieve cost-cutting measures and make the products affordable.
Mozambique has adopted a programme of extending electricity into the rural areas and although it is a costly exercise the government says it is committed to it because it would preserve the life of the country’s natural resources for future generations.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) executive secretary, Dr Kaire Mbuende, on behalf of the 12 member countries, said sola power seems to present itself as a possible solution to the predicament of conserving the environment while at the same time providing the rural disadvantaged people with a reliable source of inexpensive power.
The Mozambican government would therefore carry forward the objectives of the Harare declaration and support new and less costly solar technologies
Tanzanian President, Benjamin Mkapa, describing the summit as an historic event, urged world leaders to promote the use of renewable energies. Mkapa was one of the few leaders who committed his government to introducing a tax incentive to encourage the production of solar products.
“I cherish the hope of using the sun to improve the quality of life,” he said. In Tanzania, 85 percent of the population live in the rural areas, and fuelwood is their main source of energy. With such extensive use of wood, this inevitably leads to land degradation.
Whatever arguments are made against the implementation of solar projects, any other form of non-renewable energy will cause a further increase in the amount of carbon emission which experts warn will reach 10 billion tonnes by the year 2010. (SARDC)
