RENEWABLES
According to the International Energy Agency , there are 1.3 billion people who do not have access to energy .
While this is a staggering statistic , it ’ s even more disconcerting when realizing 85 percent of these people live in rural areas , mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa .
While many different organizations attempt to find solutions to energy accessibility in Africa , Électricité de France ( EDF ) has been working in the developing world since 1990 to bring electricity to those without .
The utility ’ s strategy is to form small , local companies that can serve communities better . EDF is focused on bringing both large and small scale renewable installations to rural communities . With its efforts spanning the continent in 5 different countries ( Botswana , Mali , Morocco , Senegal , and South Africa ), how is EDF effectively managing its Africa operations ?
Establishing Attainable Goals As previously discussed , the issue with energy accessibility in Africa is a great one . When looking at the big picture , it can be easy to get overwhelmed and view fixing the problem as an impossibility . EDF is avoiding this by keeping its efforts focused and more narrow , rather than broad and encompassing .
This doesn ’ t mean its efforts are small , though .
The utility is realistic , yet optimistic in setting goals . In the 5 countries in which it is working , a clear objective is established . Through collection of data and an assessment of the energy situation , EDF establishes the scale of the work it will perform .
In Botswana , the area of need is a specific one . Botswana ’ s energy infrastructure is actually in workable condition , though barely more than half of the country ’ s rural areas have energy access . The country ’ s national utility , Botswana Power Corporation ( BPC ), selected EDF to helm efforts to power up these portions of the country .
EDF established the scope of the issue and determined a manageable , achievable goal : to bring electricity to 400,000 people via renewable sources over the next 10 years , with an end date of 2021 . The utility set a goal of serving 50-70,000 customers
28 October 2014