“Let there be light” — and renewable energy — in Africa. Although presently the most energy-scarce continent in the world, things could be changing for Africa, thanks to Tesla. The California-based tech operation has developed a wall-mounted battery that is capable of holding enough renewable energy to power a household for as many as five hours. The hope is that this battery (Powerall) will help homes and businesses throughout Africa to leapfrog the limits of the grid, transforming Africa’s power supply in its entirety.
Africa has been notorious for its scarce, erratic, and unreliable sources of power. What’s ironic, though, is that the continent has the capacity to achieve so much more. The Sahara desert’s strong winds, the continent’s many coastal regions, and its numerous geothermal reserves all put Africa ahead of the rest of the globe in terms of its high reserves of renewable energy resources. Powerall has the potential to help Africa to, at last, fully harness this power and reap the benefits. Here’s a look at what Powerall has to offer:
Lighting & Power
In a world where many homes and business have never had power, users could go from “zero to 100” in terms of bypassing the grid in favor of renewable energy from the very start. The heavily populated continent houses 13 percent of our global population, but currently only accounts for 4 percent of worldwide energy consumption as a direct result of the unreliability and restrictions of the grid within Africa’s interior. With the Powerall battery’s ability to offer five hours of continuous power, though, there’s the potential for savvy engineers to hook multiple units together, thus scaling up its capacity and offering nonstop power to homes and enterprises. This would eliminate the continent’s need to rely on fuel guzzling and expensive generators.
Mobile Tech Hubs
Technology hubs are popping up all across Africa, including within its major cities. Currently, some 90 such hubs exist across the continent. This has inspired nations like Kenya and Ghana to build cities to act as major tech players. These, however, are still reliant upon grid reliability. The advent of renewable energy via Powerall batteries could change everything. At the same time that these batteries are being developed, companies like Google and Facebook are also making plans to deploy wireless internet around the world, with the signal being carried by drones or hot-air balloons. Both of these technologies could make it possible for businesses and individuals even in the most remote and rural portions of the continent to generate tech hubs of their own, advancing Africa faster than ever.
Government Disengagement
Traditionally, the relationship between African governments and their people has been based on exchanging political support for the provision of services, including electricity. Should Tesla’s batteries take off, Africa would go off-grid and widen the gap between the government and voters.
What This Means for You
Why should you be interested in the goings-on of the African continent? First, the changes could transform Africa into a much bigger player in the capitalist world, as enterprises would be more inclined to branch out and off-shore to this otherwise largely untapped and ignored area of the world. Secondly, should the Tesla battery really achieve its full potential, it could act as a model for the rest of the world’s businesses to get on board with renewables. Keep your ears perked for updates with the plan’s deployment and progress, and to stay abreast of worldwide energy changes as they occur.
Would you like additional information on the ramifications of Tesla’s energy revolution? Contact NuEnergen today and we’ll fill you in.
