Cape Verde has pledged to obtain 100% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2025. This pledge is a part of their “sustainable energy for all” (SE4All) agenda.
Cape Verde is an archipelago composed of 10 islands that witnessed a consistent increase in both energy access and renewable energy sources in recent years. Over 90% of the population has access to electricity, while over 70% of the population had access to clean cooking solutions in 2013. Meanwhile, renewable energy use accounted for 20% of total electricity output. They have made a concerted effort to implement the SE4All Country Action, with the development of the Action Agenda alongside the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Action Plans.
The 100% renewable energy objective laid out by the government is expected to lead to a 20% reduction in final energy demand by 2030. This objective follows the global trend towards focusing on renewable energy. The government has adopted and internalized efficient practices for energy production and consumption to achieve this. Whilst almost almost all of the islands’ 550,000 residents have access to electricity, about one-third still rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking. Cape Verde’s per capita electricity consumption of 727 kWh per person per year is substantially higher than the sub-Saharan Africa average of 488 kWh per person per year. But electricity prices are high. It is estimated that between 2015 and 2020, Cape Verde will almost double its annual electricity consumption to 670 GWh, up from 360 GWh. In addition to the 100% renewable energy objective, the country also aims to reach 100% access to clean cooking nationally, as well as 100% electricity access nationally.
Cape Verde has a variety of resources at their disposal. Resources such as wind power, solar potential, geothermal resources and marine energy. The country would need to take advantage of a number of technologies in order to make their 100% objective possible. In order to implement the SE4All agenda, an Energy Agency is planned to oversee all governance functions, coordination, implementation and monitoring and evaluation, beyond the general direction of the energy and regulatory agency. This new institution will be the main instrument of intervention and dynamization of activities and behavioral changes, leading to better management of the country’s energy consumption and production.
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