JOHANNESBURG — A wind farm in Namibia and a floating solar farm on Zimbabwe’s massive Kariba Dam are among the new green energy projects Chinese companies are looking at investing in this year after Beijing pledged to help African countries address their energy problems with renewable sources rather than fossil fuels.
“Chinese overseas renewable energy investments aim to deliver China’s international climate commitments of accelerating the energy transition away from fossil fuels in Africa, China’s largest trading partner,” Lei Bian, a policy fellow at the The London School of Economics and Political Science, told VOA.
Making good on its green energy priority, China is the world’s biggest producer of solar and wind power. “China is clearly showing some leadership here, and they should be commended for that,” Tony Tiyou, CEO of clean energy company Renewables in Africa, told VOA.
But, analysts noted, Chinese companies also benefit financially from Africa’s need for such projects.
Africa’s need for energy
African countries contribute the least to global warming, and only about half of the continent’s population has access to electricity. Many countries also have huge power deficits.
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