Status of renewable energy consumption and developmental challenges in Sub-Sahara Africa

Energy use is a prerequisite for physical and socio-economic development in both rural and urban communities. There is a need to promote and guarantee energy security, availability and reliability to preserve any existing level of development and further new developmental strides for human comfort. Access to modern energy is considered one of the foremost factors contributing to the disparity between developed and developing nations. Undisputedly, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the most physically and economically backward developing and poverty-stricken region in the world. The slower rate of development can be attributed to the low access to modern energy use in the region as a result of a high level of constraints ensuing from underprivileged energy policies, inadequate funding, ineffective energy infrastructures and the low pace of technological diffusion. These overlapping deficiencies are responsible for the looming scenario of energy crisis in the region, which has heightened the degree of dependency on combustible renewable energy sources for primary energy consumption. The application of modern renewable energy is a negligible component in the regional power sector compared with its naturally endowed potential. This review presents the current state of affairs of renewable energy application in SSA. From a focal point of view, wind energy, solar energy, hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal energy are fundamentally discussed within the framework of socioeconomic and technological developmental challenges in this review article. It was stressed that combustible bioenergy is excessively consumed in the region especially in the rural segment of society. It also pinpoints some prevailing challenges negatively influencing the development of renewable energy using modern technologies. Conclusively, this research highlights the need for effective international and cross-sector collaboration on inputs from financial, resource and technological development mechanisms for renewable energy exploitation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.