13 Nov 2024

Botswana has potential to be the hub of solar generated power on Africa, Vice President Mr Ndaba Gaolathe has said.

Delivering a keynote address at the inaugural National Renewable Energy Dialogue in Gaborone today, Mr Gaolathe said according to scientists, Botswana had one of the highest solar radiation exposure in the world, which was about third in the world.

“There is no reason why Botswana cannot be a hub on the African continent, with this amount of solar radiation exposure that is quantified to be 3 200 hours of sunshine per year," he said.

Botswana, he said, had committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 15 per cent by 2030: "But, we are a small country and still developing, so we need to be allowed some legroom to develop our country and bring it to that stage where we can afford to commit ourselves to lofty ideals around carbon footprints."

He, therefore, commended the public employees for having been working hard to try and bring about a modern portfolio energy mix into the country, such as solar, battery powered energy and gas. 

These, he said were commendable efforts, stressing that the country could still afford to do even better.

Approved in 2020, he said the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity had envisaged to augment power supply in the country by just over 1 200 megawatts, adding that some projects were already in the pipeline whilst some had been accomplished.

He said government was still working on the IRP and had set targets about renewables reaching 30 per cent by 2030 and 50 per cent by 2036, stressing that government could still do better towards improving the set targets.

The Vice President said there were also plans for a 636 Solar Photovoltaic energy, 200MW of solar concentrated energy and 100MW of wind-generated electricity and 140MW of battery energy storage.

Mr Gaolathe said 1 200MW was far from being enough, adding that the country had the potential to produce at least 8 000MW of power for export to the rest of Africa.

This move, he said would secure Botswana’s future in the world where renewable energy had to play in this grand positioning.

Mr Gaolathe commended Change Africa for the National Renewable Energy Week initiative and also expressed appreciation to the company for the work it was doing and continued to do within the energy sector.

For his part, Managing Director of Kgalagadi Resources Development Company, Mr Jonathan Hosseini said the dialogue presented an opportunity for stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions towards the Change Africa’s National Renewable Energy Week to be held in 2025.

Mr Hosseini said was a commendable initiative that could result in powerful outcomes and encouraged stakeholders to support the initiative.

“As the generation that is stepping back, we have to commit ourselves to supporting the youth and open doors for them to thrive. We hope the context for today’s dialogue will not be of what are the challenges, but of what are the solutions, what policy needs to be changed and what wider vision needs to be opened for the country,” he said.

The National Renewable Energy Dialogue was born as part of the grander scheme being the National Renewable Energy Week, which is a flagship programme by Change Africa. 

The initiative intends to position the country as a regional leader within the renewable energy landscape, as well as to align with the country’s broader goals of addressing environmental climate change and renewable energy transition challenges, thereby promoting sustainable development.

The week-long initiative supports the realisation of Transitional National Development Plan, Vision 2036, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals and it is dedicated to promoting innovation, collaboration and knowledge sharing in the field of renewable and sustainable energy.

The initiative is expected to encompass a series of activities aimed at fostering creativity, stimulating research and advancing discussions on renewable energy solutions. Ends