I arrived in Dakar on Sunday afternoon of this week and the weather was hot. That is normal this time of year as there is abundant sunlight before the summer monsoon season begins. However, when speaking to my colleagues, they told me that large parts of the city lose power nearly every day. True enough, since Monday we have gone for many hours without power – sometimes 4-6 hours in the neighborhood that I am living in (Grand Dakar).
I am not sure why this is the case but I would surmise that two factors are at work: (a) the load on the grid is too great or (2) the cost of running the generators for producing electricity by is too expensive.
Senegal has a rapidly growing population and while many in the rural areas do not have access to electricity, the growing towns and the city of Dakar have access to electricity. Dakar has a minimum of 2.5 million people and that is probably off by ½ to 1 million persons especially just outside of the city. It has a vibrant downtown area, is a major shipping port and hosts an international airport. In addition is has a significant middle class and a university, which host approximately 70,000 students (many more than it can handle). The demands on the electric grid must be tremendous during the afternoon when everyone needs power to run their laptops and desktops, classes and businesses are running at maximum capacity and air conditioners are humming because it is so hot. There is too much strain on the grid but not enough juice for everyone; lights out for someone.
Senegal’s major electric company is Senelec uses generators, which are driven by oil. I am told that they tried a new project using charcoal a few years ago. But any system driven by coal, oil or any hydrocarbon base will need a continuous use of that fuel. Given that oil prices are nearly 100 dollars a barrel and the price of gas and diesel in Senegal is somewhere between 6-8 dollars a gallon -- who can pay and who will pay. Senegal as a GNP of approximately 23 Billion USD (US GNP about 14 Trillion dollars) and is currently rated in the lower 90 % of countries on the UN Human development index. Oil Libya is a supplier to Senegal and with the war, I don’t know the reduced oil flow is impacting the ability to generate electricity. However, I am sure that it more expensive to produce electricity because of the high world oil prices.
No matter what the case, developing countries cannot afford to play with electricity in its current form. There are a couple of ways to begin digging out of this mess but it won’t be easy. If you live in the US – also note that the Obama Administration is also working on the same problem.
1.) Develop a SmartGrid and take advantage of energy efficient and smart appliances that can be programmed or adjusted based on the overall load at any given time. There are going to have to be times of the day with the load is reduced by (a) charging more for electricity during peak hours (will help people to use electricity better; (b) Make use of appliances that are energy efficient and that can reduce their cycles during the peak hours of the afternoon; (c) Bring engineers, computer scientists and IT folks together to figure out how to distribute power to the grid on large and small scales based on real-time data.
2.) Set national goals on renewable energy. This means that a country like Senegal must set goals of producing 10 or 25% of their power by solar, wind and biomass. This will help to create new jobs and pull the stress of the current electric grid. I also think that the government should support people who want to come off the grid or reduce their dependency on the grid. Provide them a small supplement for changing their power system. Senegal receives a tremendous amount of sunlight but there are also some areas where wind farms can be pursued. Developed countries should help them develop renewable energies.
3.) Tell people the truth. The use of the electric grid in its current form is unsustainable. You can't provide the power. People are charged by kilowatt-hour no matter what the time of day and so there is a certain level of unconscious behavior that is being encouraged about electricity use. Let them know that it is impossible to continue along this path – that the blackouts and brownouts will get worse. Tell each person that they have a role to play in conservation and the use of renewable energy sources. Let them know that the only way to generate more power is to import more oil or other fossil fuels, which will only help in accelerating anthropogenic climate change, where Africa is the most vulnerable and has the least capacity to adapt – and that their children and grandchildren will be in harms way.
Unfortunately, this is not just a message to Senegal but to all of the governments and people in the World. Fortunately, the European community and some states within the US have begun to see the light and are moving away from the old ways of generating electricity. It may not be until more people are sitting in the dark on a daily basis that action is really promoted.
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