So much is made of the need for all of us to discard fossil fuels in favour of so called clean energy. The men and women who force the solar and wind energy agenda on us do not care about the plight of the poor. Neither are they interested in developing countries’ economic imperative to generate economic opportunities and wealth and thereby by lift the people out of poverty.
The only that things that matter to them is moral correctness and virtue signaling. We are told by these paragons of virtue that solar and wind power plants are cheaper than coal fired power stations. It is as if repeating that mantra ad infinitum makes it true. Consequently, developing countries including Botswana are forced to jump into the solar energy bandwagon. Early this year for example, Botswana was reported to be in talks with the World Bank for a P2.6 billion loan, which would also cover renewable energy production and climate change compliance.
Here is the thing we have to remember in the midst of all this excitement with solar or wind: These energy sources may be free but are neither reliable nor cheap. Much more importantly they are not viable. If that were the case, many developing countries would have jumped on the bandwagon voluntarily. International lenders would not have made a political decision to shut out financing of coal fired power station projects. Moreover , there would be no need for someone like Catharina Hillenbrand Von Der Neyen, a green energy activist, to fret that “ Government should now create a level playing field which allows renewables to grow at least cost using post –COVID stimulus spending as an opportunity to lay the foundations for sustainable energy system”. If renewables are viable and cheaper than coal why is government spending still required? On the other hand post -CVOVID stimulus is just code for solar and wind subsidies.
Our policy makers have to realise that Botswana priorities in as far as electrification is concerned are different from the climate change crowd’s. The latter takes access to electricity for granted because they were born and live in rich countries. Many of them do not come from working class backgrounds. As an example of the divide in access to electricity, the United States of America started producing and selling electricity to its urban population in the 1870s. That is 150 years ago! We have also done well to date by proving access to electricity to 77 % of our urban population. As for our rural folks only 37 percent of the population has access. We have done that by engaging in some form of cross subsidy where we collect a levy from electricity users, for use in rural electrification. So imagine now having to subsidise expensive wind and solar when we already do so with coal.
So Botswana must borrow a leaf from five Asian countries that have decided not to suspend logic when it comes to choosing between coal and renewables. These countries namely; Indonesia, Vietnam, China, India and Japan account for 80 percent of new coal investments involving over 600 units This move has left the climate change activists perplexed but these economies know that coal fired power stations allow them to generate cheap electricity and thereby maintain a competitive edge in manufacturing. In a similar vein, Botswana has to provide electricity to 100 % of its population by 2030. The country also needs cheap electricity to, just like the five Asian economies, build and maintain a competitive edge in the production of goods. Solar and wind won’t give us that. Period.
