A year ago, a solar mini-grid in the Nigerian village of Sabangida provided nearly uninterrupted power to half of the community’s homes and businesses. This has led to the growth of clean energy mini-grids, with rural Africa set to benefit the most. The World Bank and the International Energy Agency consider solar minigrids a viable way to provide fossil-free electricity to rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa. However, scaling up solar in Africa faces challenges such as securing investors, inflationary pressures, better state financing and clear policies.
The COP28 climate talks in Dubai focus on four key topics: reducing emissions, eliminating fossil fuels and delivering a just energy transition for developing countries. The Paris Agreement, which aims to limit average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, is no longer enough. Countries must negotiate a phase-out of fossil fuels, which account for 80% of global energy consumption. COP28 must conduct the first global stocktake of the Paris Agreement and determine necessary measures.
The Serbian Women in Sustainable Energy conference discussed the role of women in the energy transition and the importance of gender equality. A survey conducted by the Center for Sustainable Development in partnership with the German International Cooperation Agency GIZ shows that women are active participants in the energy transition but need financial and institutional support to participate. The meeting also emphasized the need to pass a low-carbon development strategy and a climate change law. Gender equality is a key value of the German Development Cooperation.
Polls show that Romania’s solar boom is not slowing down, with the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) predicting that the number of prosumers will reach 100,000 by the end of 2023. About 24.11% of Romanians plan to install solar panels within the next three to five years, with cost reduction and energy independence being the main reasons. Only 16% of respondents mentioned government subsidies, and 40% considered an investment of €3,000 to €4,000 to be sufficient to become a prosumer. Romania is providing massive subsidies, which Prime Minister Nicola-Ionel Ciuca estimates will be enough to benefit up to 80,000 beneficiaries.
The EU is working to replace Russian gas with liquefied natural gas (LNG), with Greece aiming to become a regional hub. Romania and other Southeast European countries are also interested in participating in this process. Romania's state-owned transmission system operator SNTGN Transgaz has agreed to acquire a 15% stake in Mediterranean gas company Argo's project, which aims to process 4.6 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas per year. Transgaz recently took over the Moldovan national gas transmission system.
Mohit Bhargava, CEO of NTPC Renewable Energy, believes that green hydrogen mixing can boost green hydrogen production in India. He believes more opportunities will emerge if the PNGRB approves the technical aspects of blending in existing pipelines. The company has signed MoUs with Kolkata Port and Tuticorin for green hydrogen and ammonia hubs. NTPC-REL is also working on a green hydrogen flow pilot project and a green methanol pilot project in Ladakh to produce green hydrogen and carbon dioxide from smokestacks.