OPINION: The future of alternative fuels in industries - renewable and new energy

As the world continues to grapple with climate change, environmental degradation, pollution and the depletion of fossil fuels, the move towards alternative fuels is becoming more urgent and critical as the world looks to shift towards fuels that are crucial to creating cleaner and more sustainable industries and economies.

Alternative fuels are energy sources used instead of traditional fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. They contribute minimally to pollution and are often generated by sources that are renewable.

The main types of alternative fuels include: Biofuels, these are fuels made from plants, algae or animal waste; Electricity, specifically generated from solar, wind, or hydro power; Hydrogen, particularly green hydrogen made using renewable electricity; Ethanol and biodiesel from crops like sugarcane, maize and soy and finally; natural gas alternatives like biogas.

The term renewable energy comes from natural sources that replenish themselves such as solar power (from sunlight), wind energy, hydropower (from rivers and dams), geothermal energy (from the Earth's heat), and biomass energy (from organic materials).

The term new energy refers to emerging technologies that are not yet widely used but hold promise for the future. These include: Green hydrogen that is produced without carbon emissions; Ocean energy from waves and tides; Advanced battery storage and; Fusion energy which is still under research and development.

Fusion energy involves a process of making power from the same process that powers the sun, a process that involves the fusion of different atoms.

The shift to alternative fuels is especially important in fighting climate change as burning fossil fuels is the biggest source of greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. Replacing this with clean energy sources will help reduce emissions and slow down climate change. Air pollution from fuel burning is also a health risk, often causing diseases and leading to millions of deaths each year.

Countries that rely on imported oil and gas are vulnerable to price shocks and supply disruptions and using local renewable energy makes countries more energy-independent and secure.

The renewable energy sector is also creating jobs in installation, manufacturing, and maintenance and according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the sector employed over 13 million people globally in 2022 with this number increasing to over 16 million in 2023 an 18% increase.

Finally, alternative energies are also helping in the conservation of natural resources. Fossil fuels are limited and take millions of years to form while renewable on the other hand never run out and are more sustainable for the future.

Alternative energy use is growing throughout the world. Countries like Germany, Denmark, and Spain are global leaders in wind and solar energy with Germany aiming to get 80% of its electricity from renewable by 2030. In Denmark, wind power already supplies over 50% of the country’s electricity.

China is currently the world’s largest producer of solar panels and wind turbines and is investing heavily in electric vehicles and green hydrogen projects to reduce their dependence on coal.

The United States of America has developed strong bio-fuel programs especially in ethanol production from corn while India runs the world’s largest solar energy program, aiming to install 500 gigawatts of renewable capacity by 2030. India also has large-scale solar parks and supports off-grid solar for rural homes.

Africa has great potential to adopt alternative energies to power its future development and growth. It has abundant natural resources that make it ideal for renewable energy with over 300 days of sunshine in many regions, strong wind corridors, rivers for hydro power, and large amounts of biomass.

Africa will set up Sustainable Aviation fuel production infrastructure centers, to support reduction of carbon by 60 to 80 per cent into the environment. The current use of SAF with 50-50 blending with normal jet fuel on current aircraft infrastructure has been tested successfully by Virgin, Ryan Air, Ethiopian and Kenya Airways among other airlines.  Global aviation growth will see 20000 aircrafts increase to over 40000 globally in the next few years.

Projects like M-KOPA in Kenya and d-light among other solar projects,  in East Africa provide solar lighting and phone charging for homes without access to electricity, improving health and education while reducing dependence on kerosene. This is transformation of economies and improving impact on communities and lives.

Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam and Kenya’s Seven Forks Dams supply a large part of the countries’ electricity needs from water, offering a clean and reliable energy source.

Countries like Namibia, South Africa, and Morocco are exploring green hydrogen production using solar and wind power, an example being Namibia’s Hyphen Hydrogen Project which is expected to supply clean fuel and create thousands of jobs.

In Nigeria and Ghana, companies are turning agricultural and household waste into energy through biogas systems, reducing waste, lowering emissions, and providing an affordable energy option for rural communities.

While progress is being made, several challenges remain including the high costs of investing in new technology and infrastructure, lack of finances for in developing regions, limited or weak energy policies and regulations, inadequate technical skills and lack of awareness, and inadequate electricity grids to support variable renewable energy Governments, private investors, and development partners need to work together to overcome these barriers.

Training regional workers, creating better, enabling and supporting legislations, and using public-private partnerships can help mitigate some of these challenges.

The world is moving toward a future where alternative fuels will power homes, vehicles, factories, shipping and planes and transform the private and public partnership investments.

Renewable and new energy technologies and investments provide a chance to build cleaner, fairer, and more resilient economies globally.

For Africa, the opportunity is even greater and leapfrogging old energy systems and creating green jobs can help spur the continent’s economic development and growth.  Alternative fuels, driven by renewable and new energy technologies, are the foundation for a better future.

Chris Diaz

Conservationist and

Chairman

Adili Group