The deployment of renewables can help Namibia reach its goal of providing universal electricity access by 2040. Despite significant progress over the past two decades, nearly 45% of Namibians still lack access to electricity. Most people without power live in sparsely populated rural areas across th Contact online >>
The deployment of renewables can help Namibia reach its goal of providing universal electricity access by 2040. Despite significant progress over the past two decades, nearly 45% of Namibians still lack access to electricity. Most people without power live in sparsely populated rural areas across the country. Off-grid renewables are therefore particularly compelling as an access solution. Closing the gap will depend on sustained government efforts, support from development partners and active participation from the private sector.
Namibia''s abundant world-class wind and solar resources present significant opportunities for the country. Backed by robust policies to help harness these resources, renewable energy could play a central role in advancing Namibia''s vision for sustainable development and economic growth – driving local value creation and industrialisation.
Renewables can reduce the country''s reliance on expensive electricity imports, improve energy security, and lower costs for consumers, thereby fostering a more resilient and sustainable power sector. Renewables can also help Namibia achieve universal electricity access, particularly in remote areas through off-grid solutions.
The mining industry, which plays a central role in the country''s economy, can also benefit from renewables. By reducing energy costs and lowering emissions, they can improve mining operations and enhance the global competitiveness of Namibian mineral products, as demand for sustainably sourced minerals is set to grow.
Thanks to high-quality renewable resources, combined with ample available land for large-scale project development, Namibia is well-positioned to produce renewable hydrogen and its derivatives and develop a new industry. These projects can help attract investment thanks to their large size and foreign offtake. Care should be taken to ensure that large-scale projects support – rather than compete with – key priorities of the country. If designed and managed well, they can offer multiple levers for sustainable development.
This new IEA report – the first focusing on Namibia – explores these opportunities and how they can support the country''s development vision by integrating socio-economic considerations to achieve broader development goals.
The International Rivers and EarthLife Namibia released a study on 18 July by TMP Public on the least-cost pathway for Namibia''s energy needs. Namibia is at a crucial point in its energy system development and must make difficult decisions over the coming years to increase energy supply as demand could double in the next 20 years, while also managing costs and negative impacts.
The Least-cost Energy Study provides a least-cost energy investment pathway for Namibia until 2040, alongside a comparative analysis of the proposed Baynes Hydro-power Project and least-cost solar and wind alternatives.
The analysis covers both techno-economic factors, providing multiple assessments that consider costs, social and environmental impact, and risk, as well as forward-looking climate factors for different energy technologies.
Namibia currently has a small energy system that is dominated by its 347 megawatts (MW) Ruacana hydropower plant. The country is also considering an additional hydro-power plant, the Baynes Hydro-power Project on the Kunene River. The Kunene River basin is heavily climate-exposed and extreme drought periods have already created energy shortfalls for Namibia because of its overreliance on the Ruacana hydro-power plant.
Namibia is one of the driest countries south of the Sahara and has been experiencing persistent drought conditions for more than seven years. These events are likely to become more frequent and severe over the coming decades, exacerbated further by competing upstream water demands.
Chairperson of Earth Life Namibia, Bertchen Kohrs said Earthlife Namibia critically observed the planned hydro-power plant at Epupa in the 1990s. "A similar plant in the Baynes Mountains raises the same environmental and social concerns and Namibia is blessed with renewable energy resources like solar and wind. It would be a shame not to utilize them," added Kohrs.
These growing climate risks create strong incentives for energy planners to favour solar and wind and to balance an energy system already overburdened by increasingly unreliable hydro-power. Solar and wind technologies are far more climate-resilient and can be dispersed in a way that considerably reduces the chances of a single climate event disrupting the entire energy system.
Africa Program Director at International Rivers, Siziwe Mota, said Namibia should reconsider its reliance on hydro-power and fossil fuels in favour of a climate-friendly and innovative approach that makes use of their abundant renewable resources and avoid negatively impacting communities.
Associate at TMP Public, Justin Muhl said Namibia urgently needs to improve the resilience and capacity of its energy system, both because of looming climate risks and to improve livelihoods and opportunities in the country. "Fortunately, it is endowed with excellent renewable energy resources, like solar and wind. Decision-makers must support energy solutions that offer resilience and rapid roll-out, which means rethinking some of the large, risky, and ultimately expensive options currently on the table," said Muhl.
Some of the report''s key findings include, solar and wind with storage make up the largest share of Namibia''s energy future under a least-cost energy investment scenario to 2030 and 2040, cumulatively accounting for 70% and 77% of the country''s installed capacity, respectively.
Namibia has widespread high-quality solar and wind resources in areas that avoid dense populations, protected areas, and sensitive land uses. Nearly 125,000 km2 of the most suitable solar and wind areas also pose a relatively low social risk. The Baynes Hydro-power Project is heavily susceptible to delays because of high social and environmental risks and is unlikely to come online before 2031. By contrast solar and wind options could be developed in less than half the time.
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