Small-scale power generation plants driven by hydrocarbon sources and biomass are still likely to play a valuable part in rolling out electricity in regions of Africa unserved by grid power and where renewable resources are insufficient to sustain a reliable energy supply.
The lack of a secure baseload energy supply in certain areas can be a key inhibitor to local or regional investment and economic development – and many countries, especially those not on a grid, are looking beyond the traditional large-grid model to create broader access to electricity. In some cases, a small thermal plant generating 25 to 100 MW of power can be a more affordable developmental intervention for a local area, especially if it does not incur the often prohibitive costs of transmission infrastructure across long distances.
Acknowledged: ee Publishers
