And God said, “Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens… to shed light upon the earth. And it was so.” -Genesis 1:14-15
NEED
Over 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have no access to electricity. They constitute 13 percent of the global population, contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions, but most bear the burden of climate change. This reality presents tremendous opportunities for making a positive difference in African people’s lives. Renewable energy production can significantly reduce reliance on diesel and gathered wood, the most polluting fuels. A modest five megawatt (MW) solar field avoids 125,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions over 20 years.
GOALS
- To care for creation and promote sustainable development through the deployment of solar and wind energy;
- To bring renewable electricity to Africans, curb climate change, and enable current and future generations to live sustainably.
OBJECTIVES
- Engage African religious institutions in practicing the ethical imperatives of creation care by facilitating alternative energy development on their lands;
- Establish a practical, scalable mechanism to support a pipeline of investment in, and deployment of, solar photovoltaic and wind projects of 7.5 MW or larger in Africa.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project is a blended for- and not-for-profit commercial co-venture bringing together faith institutions, The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, and Gigawatt Global for rapid, massive deployment of renewable energy and scalable rural sustainable development in Africa. In August 2019, an MOU and land-lease agreement was signed for large-scale solar fields on Anglican church lands in Mozambique. In January 2021, a Gigawatt Global vice president visited Niassa province, Mozambique, and met with Anglican Bishop Vicente and others in regards to land for the project. To read a press release about the signing, click here. The project was launched in 2017.
PARTNERS
The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) – Founder and project coordinator. Based in Jerusalem, ICSD reveals the connection between religion and ecology and mobilizes faith communities to act.
On this project, ICSD identifies and recruits faith institutions in sub-Saharan Africa interested in collaborating to put ethics into practice by providing land for solar installations. ICSD approaches senior religious leadership, including the Vatican, the Anglican church, the Orthodox church, and Muslim institutions to offer support and collaborate.
Gigawatt Global Coöperatief U.A. – Founder. Gigawatt Global is a multinational renewable energy platform focused on the development and management of utility-scale solar fields in emerging markets. With over 1,500 MW of solar projects in its pipeline worldwide, Gigawatt brings extensive experience in all aspects of renewable energy project finance and development. On this project, Gigawatt Global is responsible for all necessary project financing, debt and equity. Gigawatt shall execute and manage the projects to provide power, locally and nationally and train and employ local workers.
Green Anglicans–Anglican Church of Southern African Environmental Network (initial Faith Institution Partner) mobilizes faith communities for green energy, climate resistant agriculture, reforestation and improved water access. On this project, it provides outreach to Anglican bishops in southern and central Africa. To date, numerous Anglican archbishops and bishops– in Burundi, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia—have expressed their desire to site a project on land in their diocese. Each Anglican bishop will assist in facilitating project approvals from relevant governmental authorities.
Other Faith Institutions and Communities in Africa – Anglican, Catholic, other Christian, Muslim, and Jewish institutions will partner in obtaining useful lands, local and national permits, and securing pre-development funding.
Pope Francis wrote in Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home: “Taking advantage of abundant solar energy will require the establishment of mechanisms and subsidies which allow developing countries access to technology transfer, technical assistance and financial resources…”
We are also grateful for the support of the following initiatives on this project:
Shine Campaign is an independent global campaign dedicated to ending energy poverty and unlocking new opportunities for billions of people. Partners from the faith, development, and philanthropic sectors are mobilizing new forms of capital, scaling resources, and generating momentum to achieve universal access to clean, affordable, and reliable energy by 2030 – a Sustainable Development Goal.
PaRD (The International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development) brings together members and partners from all over the world in order to harness the positive impact of religion and values in sustainable development and humanitarian assistance. PaRD aims at greater coordination between secular and non-secular actors, focusing on joint activities such as: Capacity Building, Policy Advice, Knowledge Sharing, Dialogue and Monitoring.
To create, develop and refine the model, we seek to engage faith institutions at all levels. Please reach out to us if your institution/ community is interested in joining our initiative.
..in the News
Sep 9, 2019
The Jerusalem Post
Israeli NGO Moves Forward with Plans to Build Solar Fields in Mozambique
ICSD successfully signed an MOU with Mozambique and Eswatini. This is the next step in building solar fields on Mozambican Church land to decrease energy poverty and increase clean energy. Read More
Sep 5, 2019
Independent Catholic News
As Pope visits Mozambique, plans for large solar field on Church land launched
Coverage of recent success on ICSD, Gigawatt Global, and the Anglican Church’s solar energy project in Mozambique and Eswatini. With quotes from ICSD deputy director Phillipa Friedland, Bishop Vicente Msosa of the Anglican Church of Niassa Province, and Gigawatt Global CEO Josef Abramowitz. Read More
July 8, 2018
Winner of the Catholic Seminarian Essay Contest on Renewable Energy Congratulations to Umeh Benneth Chidiebere from Saints Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija Ibadan, Nigeria! He is the winner of the essay contest, a partnership between the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development and Salesian Pontifical University – Jerusalem Campus. Here is the first paragraph of the winning essay: “While I was growing up in Kaduna, northern Nigerian, electricity was a luxury. Only a few could afford generators and have their houses powered. I lived in a public compound, and only a few of my neighbours could afford a generator, but my family could not. Aside from our inability to power our house, the experience of having to live in the same little compound with those who could was both ridiculous and unjust. The generator sets produce fumes, known as carbon monoxide, which makes the environment very uncomfortable and the air unbreathable and unhealthy for those who are exposed to them. The sets are also known for the loud grating sound they produce. But, each time my neighbours switched on their generator sets, they locked up their doors and windows. The electric fans or air conditioning in the house were on full blast and the shut doors and windows kept both noise and noxious gases out. Meanwhile, just a few feet ahead was my house. We had to keep our doors and windows open to have our apartment ventilated. Inadvertently, the fumes the generators released found space in our apartment. And due to the noise of the generators, we could not communicate without having to scream. But, I, or any other, dared not complain. Anyone who did this would be labeled ‘jealous and unhappy’.” Read more
Anglican Communion News Service November 1, 2017
Archbishop Welby’s comment leads to development of African solar project
He heard about ICSD’s collaborative project with the social enterprise Gigawatt Global (GWG) to deploy solar fields on church lands in Africa. In Rwanda, GWG installed Africa’s first commercial scale solar field on land belonging to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village for orphans from the genocide. Read More
pv Magazine January 8, 2018
Gigawatt Global and Energiya to install 100 MW of PV in Ethiopia
The Dutch-U.S. solar developer and the Israeli company are teaming up to construct 10 solar power plants with a capacity of 10 MW each at several university campuses in Ethiopia. Read More
Ethiosports January 5, 2018
Israeli Company to Invest $500 million in Ethiopia
GIGAWATT GLOBAL, an Israeli companysaid it will invest 500 million USD in Ethiopia in renewable energy and human resource development. Josef I. Abramowitz, CEO of the company announced the plan following discussions with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn alongside with the Israeli companies. Read More
Lexology January 7, 2018
The electricity sector in Burundi: a place for renewable energy in the great lakes region?
A PPA of 25 years has been signed between Gigawatt Global and the national utility, Regideso. This will be the first power plant built in Burundi in nearly 30 years and the largest private sector investment in Burundi in 2017. Read More
Anglican Communion News Service December 13, 2017
ExxonMobil concede defeat in climate change battle with Church of England
A project to install solar power farms on church-owned lands in Africa is beginning to take off. The initiative, which was sparked by a chance conversation the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby had with an Israeli NGO on his visit to the Holy Land in April, will see spare church lands used to produce electricity from solar panels. Read More
The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development is a Coalition Partner of Olam:
ICSD works on a global basis, with current engagement in Africa, the Middle East, North America, and Europe.