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
“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…”
Pope Francis, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home
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;
- Implement off-grid renewable energy projects in Africa based on Gigawatt Global’s (GWG) Rural Village Development Model for commercially sustainable off-grid development.
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 GWG for rapid, massive deployment of renewable energy and scalable rural sustainable development in Africa. In February 2019, Gigawatt Global will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Mozambican Department of Energy and Mineral Resources for a 15 MW Photovoltaic Solar Energy field on lands leased from the Anglican Diocese of Niassa. The Malawian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources will sign a MOU with Gigawatt Global for a 7-10 MW field on lands leased from the Diocese of Upper Shire. Numerous archbishops and bishops in Africa have expressed desire to site a project on land in their diocese, including in Swaziland and Ugunda. Each bishop will assist in facilitating project approvals. The project was launched in 2017.
Mission
To care for people and creation through rapid deployment of solar and wind energy in order to bring renewable electricity to Africans, curb climate change, and enable current and future generations to live sustainably.
Objectives
- Facilitate the deployment of solar photovoltaic and wind projects of 10 MW or larger in Africa in collaboration with a broad range of faith institutions Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant Christian, Muslim and Jewish.
- Implement off-grid renewable energy projects in Africa based on Gigawatt Global’s Rural Village Development Model, which provides a pragmatic approach to commercially sustainable off-grid development.
Partners and Roles
The project is a blended for and not-for-profit social venture bringing together faith institutions, NGOs, and Gigawatt Global for rapid, massive deployment of solar energy and scalable rural sustainable development in Africa.
The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, Gigawatt Global, and Green Anglicans are collaborating on this project.
The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) serves as project coordinator. It 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 blessing to adopt the model at their discretion.
Gigawatt Global Coöperatief U.A. is a multinational renewable energy company focused on the development and management of utility-scale solar fields in emerging markets. With over 1000 MW of solar projects in its pipeline worldwide, Gigawatt Global 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 will 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 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.
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.
Contact
..in the News
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