The aim of which is to foster co-operation with Africa in the renewable energy space.
Under the umbrella initiative “energy solutions – made in Germany”, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the PDP connects German companies with the local private sector of several target countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
The German development corporation, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, has been put in charge of the project’s implementation, which aims to develop reference projects featuring new state-of-the-art technological solutions or innovative business and operating models that are supported through the PDP’s activities.
The PDP will serve as the contact for project developers, manufactures, distributors, service providers and investors within the renewable energy and storage sector with a focus on photovoltaic, biomass and biogas.
Further, the PDP works closely together with the public sector aiming to remove market barriers for renewable energy.
Stimulating co-operation
At this year’s Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference (ZIMEC), to be held in Lusaka, Zambia, the PDP has arranged an event on the sidelines of the conference which will focus on the topic of renewables and mining. At the even German solar and energy storage companies will present their experiences, references and solutions for the extractives industry as well as industrial off-takers.
To complement the session, the Delegation of the German South-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK) will coordinate business-to-business meetings between the German companies present, with the aim of partnering key local market extractive industry players with suppliers looking for a feasible solution to the ongoing load-shedding and high expenditures for diesel genset supply.
The event will take place on 24 June between 11h00 and 13h00.
The importance of renewable energy
Renewable energy sources are becoming an increasingly attractive option for the mining sector and its energy intensive processes and often remote locations with no access to the grid or unstable one. As a result of low commodity prices, mining companies need to reduce costs to operate profitably. By implementing renewable energy sources, energy costs can be reduced significantly.
In doing so, the African mining sector needs to identify business partners with the necessary expertise and know-how to develop reliable renewable energy supply for mines.
GIZ renewable energy PDP project manager Tobias Cossen believes Germany is a significant source for reliable, high-quality renewable energy technology.
“Germany’s transition towards renewables – the German Energiewende – has triggered a massive wave of support for the renewables technology sector. In fact, the feed-in-tariff scheme raised the attractiveness of the market segment to such an extent that many German energy firms shifted their focus to this field,” he says.
Nowadays, German renewable energy companies enjoy an excellent reputation all over the world, as the ongoing and rising international demand for their products and services show.
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