Rockefeller Foundation Green Power Gap: 8,700 Terawatt-Hours of Clean Energy Needed in 72 Countries, including 44 in Africa

• Estimates the renewable energy capacity that must be generated by 2050 for countries to meet development and climate goals
• Outlines 4 pathways from energy poverty to close the gap for 3.8 billion people

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation released a new report which calculates an 8,700 terawatt-hour (TWh) "Green Power Gap" that must be closed to provide enough electricity for 3.8 billion people across 72 countries to participate in the modern economy. By estimating the amount of clean power that these countries, including 44 in Africa, must deploy to create a future of energy abundance, "The Green Power Gap: Achieving an Energy Abundant Future for Everyone" sets out four new pathways: 1) gradual grid greening; 2) mixed grid renewable evolution; 3) decentralized solar storage; 4) decentralized renewable mix. It also identifies a green window of opportunity for these countries to leapfrog from more traditional, costly, and inefficient power systems.

The 72 countries represent 68 that fall below the Modern Energy Minimum (MEM), which is defined as having an average annual per capita usage of less than 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh), plus four additional countries* that have surpassed the MEM threshold but are included because significant proportions of their populations still live well below the MEM. The African countries include: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon*, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Lesotho, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

"While an energy transition is already taking hold in many markets, far too many people in Africa are being left behind," said William Asiko, Vice President and head of The Rockefeller Foundation's Africa Regional Office. "The good news is that we are seeing big and bold ambitions emerge, such as the recent commitment by the World Bank and the African Development Bank to electrify 300 million Africans by 2030. These kinds of commitments, coupled with Africa's superior renewable energy resources, present a unique opportunity for the continent to create diverse, reliable renewable energy systems – and we believe quantifying the Green Power Gap is an important step towards collective action."