DUBAI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- China-Africa new energy cooperation has brought more "small but beautiful" projects to Africa.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Wang Yan, Chen Mengyang, and Tai Beiping.
At the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the innovative cooperation model between China and Africa in the field of clean energy** attracted a lot of attention. A number of small-scale, "small but beautiful" China-Africa energy cooperation projects focusing on people's livelihood and community needs are taking root, creating social, economic and environmental benefits for African countries in a sustainable way.
During the conference, a forum with the theme of "Innovation Leads China-Africa Cooperation and Unleashes the Potential of 'PV+'" attracted more than 20 representatives from all walks of life in China and Africa. They made suggestions and suggestions on how to establish a China-Africa cooperation platform to allow more Chinese innovative forces to enter Africa and help "PV+" land in Africa. Chen Zhihua, Deputy Director of China's National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, said: "African countries have always been a key region for us to carry out South-South cooperation on climate change, and helping African countries achieve new energy development and green and low-carbon transformation has always been our priority direction of cooperation. ”
China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced in September the implementation of the "African Light Belt" project, which will leverage the advantages of China's photovoltaic industry to help solve the problem of electricity and lighting for poor households in Africa by cooperating in the construction of climate-friendly "PV+" projects, promoting exchanges and dialogues on climate and photovoltaic development, carrying out photovoltaic strategic planning and supporting policy research, and implementing capacity-building projects.
Gu Hongbin, vice president of China Hydropower and Water Conservancy Planning and Design Institute, said that the "PV+" solution has good adaptability to Africa and its communities, and can be flexibly arranged in multiple energy-using scenarios, which is of great practical significance for promoting the coordinated development of local economy and society in Africa.
Zhang Xiaohua, director of the China region of the Climate Work Conference, said that China has explored many application scenarios and solutions in the field of "photovoltaic +", which can be effectively combined with the energy demand of Africa's agriculture, water supply and other fields, and explore a variety of photovoltaic application forms and scenarios in Africa.
Gid Iguiado, director of the Global Energy Transition Africa Region of the Climate Work Group, believes that Africa has abundant solar energy resources, and the development of solar energy can help Africa eliminate energy poverty, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create green jobs, and improve the living conditions of local residents.
On the 8th, the Belt and Road Green and Low-Carbon Transformation Cooperation Seminar held at the China Corner of the Dubai Climate Conference also focused on China-Africa energy innovation cooperation. At the meeting, it was announced that the "China-Africa Energy Innovation Cooperation Accelerator Project" was officially launched. According to Jiang Hao, director of the International Business Department of the China Hydropower Planning and Design Institute, the project will select and promote innovative cases and innovative technology solutions to help Africa's energy transition under the framework of the China-AU Energy Partnership. "This accelerator program was born in the context of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, focusing on the 'small but beautiful' innovative energy projects of China-Africa new energy, especially in the field of benefiting people's livelihood, and encouraging and supporting them to land in Africa."
Marco Lambertini, special envoy of the World Wide Society for Nature and co-chair of the Belt and Road Green Development International Alliance, told reporters: "Everyone has been focusing on large-scale investment and construction projects, and underestimating the importance of small-scale infrastructure construction. He believes that it is important to promote sound energy solutions in Africa and other underdeveloped parts of the world, such as investing in microgrids in underdeveloped rural areas. Lambettini believes that these small and medium-sized infrastructures that support sustainable development can have an important economic and social impact on remote and underdeveloped areas on the one hand, and protect the environment in different ways on the other, "which is an interesting new direction for the green development of the Belt and Road".
Fei Xiaojing, the person in charge of the Shanghai Innovation Center of Impact Works, is the co-sponsor of the accelerator project, and through a large number of local demand research in Africa in the early stage, the development and utilization of renewable energy such as "photovoltaic +", small-scale biogas projects, low-cost green hydrogen production, storage, transportation and use solutions, wind energy, geothermal energy, small-scale hydropower generation, terminal electrification, clean cooking, energy efficiency improvement technology, digital technology supporting platform and other related supporting technologies. Skills training and equipment operation and maintenance services will be the key directions of the accelerator project. "The final selected cases and technical solutions will be disseminated and promoted, and connected with local resources in Africa to achieve implementation."
Mandy Ramharos, vice president of global climate cooperation at the Environmental Defense Fund, believes that compared with large-scale investment and construction projects, which are difficult, time-consuming and difficult to implement, these small-scale projects can address the actual needs of remote areas in African countries in a targeted manner, and are easier to implement, promote and implement with financial support and the approval of local communities.
Many participants at the Dubai climate conference interviewed by this reporter believe that the concept of "small but beautiful" has injected a fresh force into China-Africa clean energy cooperation. Innovative, flexible, and practical projects can not only bring clean energy dividends to the African region, but also provide lessons for other regions to set an example of sustainable development in more communities.