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6 July 2018 by Guest Contributor
By Charlotte Aubin, CEO of GreenWish Partners France, and Thomas Chalumeau, Director of Strategy and Member of Exco Orange MEA, GSMA Utilities Champion ( social impact programs)
"Technology makes it possible, people get there!"
Two major revolutions are currently underway globally in the telecom and energy sectors since the beginning of this new millennium: The convergence of these two great disturbances is about to reshape the challenge of access to energy in emerging markets, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70% of the population does not have access to energy. According to the latest estimates of the World Bank, in 2040, up to 55% of Africans having access to in addition to the necessary extension of the electricity network […]
The two former investment bankers of the same generation, sharing the same values around the role of finance and the private sector to promote the real economy with a positive environmental and social impact for the populations, we were very happy to share at the Forum Transition Monaco 2018 how Orange , a major telecom operator active in 21 countries in the Middle East and Africa, GreenWish Partners, a specialist in financing clean energy and infrastructure dedicated to Africa, has begun a very promising cooperation on how to working together for a better and cleaner future.
"Traditional" sectors such as telecom and energy business models and develop a new approach that can support social and economic development while reducing the pressure on the environment . And here's how:
Renewable energies and the double energy revolution in Africa
Some figures to summarize the African energy challenge: Today, 620 million out of 900 million people do not have access to electricity in Africa. Billions of dollars are being spent on fossil fuels to power polluting generators, and the necessary expansion of power grids across Africa would cost $ 63 billion a year until 2030, while only 8 billions of dollars a year are spent.
Perhaps nowhere in Africa can technology provide urgent solutions to climate change. We see a twofold technological revolution underway in Africa:
1) The first revolution is the opportunity for an entire continent to move from lack of power to abundant, clean and reliable energy.
First on the grid:
At the GreenWish solar farm in Senegal, Senergy ii, renewable technologies, solar energy, wind power and of course hydropower, are now the the most competitive energy source on the continent. Solar panels have decreased by 80% since 2010. The last gap to fill is the competitiveness of storage, but the cost of storage batteries has already been divided by 4 over the last 4 years.
Second, on the grid: [19659008Lestechnologiesrenouvelablesontégalementdécentralisélessolutionsd'alimentationpourlesindustrielslesecteurdestélécomslesutilisateurscommerciauxainsiquedansleszonesruralesPrenonsl'exempledusecteurdestélécomsquiestunsecteurd'activitéstratégiquepournous:AuCongoGreenWishconvertit300toursdetélécommunicationpourOrangedesolutionsdebatteriesdieselauxbatteriessolaires:nousamélioronslafiabilitédel'énergieréduisonsde70%laconsommationdediesel30%ducoûttotaldel'énergieIlyaurabientôt300000toursenAfriquereposantsurdessolutionshorsréseauhybridessolairesoudieselEnfinl'expansiondelaconnectivitésoutiendral'efficacitéénergétiqueetl'IntelligentUseofEnergy
2) The second leapfrog is the productive uses that clean technologies allow:
The access to power has a strong impact on value chains, especially on-industry both on the cold storage and processing. But the most remarkable advance allowed by access to energy is the activation of connectivity and universal access to digital. The combination of cleantech and IT allows for more efficient value chains and a major acceleration of social and economic services for isolated populations. This is the underlying strategy of our GreenWish Villages: through access to power and connectivity, we enable access to cold and better distribution networks for our B partners. to B such as Coca Cola, Danone – Education, Agriculture and Public Administration (for which we are working with the Microsoft team), as well as the e commerce and e-commerce. By empowering people, we are creating economic and social value in sensitive areas, often impacted by the consequences of climate change such as northern Nigeria, the Sahelian belt or Lake Chad. It creates jobs and bridges the gap between urban and rural centers, which is a key priority in the fight against poverty and the prevention of migration crises. Each of our villages allows 10 to 20,000 people. If we deploy 10,000 with our trading and government partners, we can reach up to 200 million people.
When Orange and GreenWish Engage on a Joint Program for Clean Energy in Africa
Last year, Orange and GreenWish have developed a very promising cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa to help reduce Orange fuel consumption up to -70% with annual cost savings of up to -30%. This means cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy through the production of solar hybrid electricity. It also allows operators to expand their rural coverage with lower investment and profitability, building on such partnerships to scale up rural electrification programs on a larger scale in Africa through solutions. Decentralized micro and mini-grids, based on the strengths of each partner: technical expertise and financing for GreenWish, presence in 20 countries with more than 130 million customers and 900,000 Orange resellers on the continent for Orange, as well as a Flagship mobile money transfer and financial services offering, Orange Money, available in 17 countries with 150,000 In addition to its commitment to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals through its own energy programs, the sector of energy has been identified as a significant opportunity for Orange in its strategy of providing essential services to its customers . digital technology as a key partner in the digital transformation of the continent ion, a strategy launched 10 years ago with Orange Money, which has completely changed people's lives, bringing new digital services in health, agriculture and education to millions of customers
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