Temporal and spatial analysis of electricity generation from biomass sources in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The paper analyses the generation of electricity from biomass sources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) between 2003 and 2012. The electrification rate in SSA was 32% as compared to 92, 70 and 94% in China and East Asia, South Asia and Latin America, respectively. This is a serious issue that affects development. An estimated 620 million people in SSA have no access to electricity. Yet SSA abounds in biomass resources, it produces less than 1% of its electricity from biomass. The structure of electricity production in SSA shows that generation mix is dominated by hydropower (23%) and fossil fuels (73.3%). There has been a significant temporal variation in the quantum of electricity produced from biomass in SSA between 2003 and 2012. The trend has been rather static. Only 13 countries in SSA produce electricity from biomass sources. However, there are significant spatial variations with Eastern and Southern Africa producing more electricity from biomass sources than Western Africa.

Keywords

• biomass
• electricity
• hydropower
• production
• sub-saharan africa