After Cape Verde, the CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar Series brought together governments and organizations in Brazil to discuss the energy transition and progress in regulating carbon markets in CPLP member states. The third seminar took place on 4th November 2024 at the Institute of Economics of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

On 30th October 2024, the 2nd CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar brought together governments and financiers for a debate on climate finance and the energy transition in CPLP member states. 

On the sidelines of the 2nd CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar, ALER, DNICE and DNP of Cape Verde organized an Energy and Climate Business Mission on 29th October in Praia (Cape Verde). The main aim of this initiative, which brought together around 17 Portuguese and Cape Verdean companies, was to promote investment and exchange between the two countries.

From 7th to 10th October, ALER visited Guinea-Bissau to coordinate different activities and projects to be implemented in the country.

In September, ALER established a new partnership with GET.transform, with the aim of fostering the promotion of decentralized renewable energies in Mozambique.

One of southern Africa's largest energy producers, Mozambique, is facing an energy crisis. Despite efforts to expand access to electricity, which is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, almost 70% of Mozambicans still live without access to modern energy services.

We support countries in developing a favorable framework that brings security to investors and guarantees the public-private complementarity of financial resources in sustainable energy projects, contributing to the acceleration of the energy transition, especially in developing economies.

IRENA reports underscore critical role of energy planning in unlocking investment opportunities in emerging markets and developing economies, and recommend de-risking and public finance leverage to scale investment.

The Government of East Timor, in partnership with UNDP and with the financial support of the Government of Japan, launched the installation of a solar energy system at INFPM on September 24, 2024.

Angola's Ministry of Energy and Water anounced the creation of an independent regulator for energy and water services and the possibility of private sector intervention in the country's energy transmission sector.

The Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, inaugurated on 12th September the 5MW Photovoltaic Power Station in Santa Maria, on Sal Island, the “largest solar park in Cape Verde in capacity and technology”, built by APP (an ALER member).

The 1st edition of the Job and Industry Fair: The Future of Renewable Energies in Mozambique, organized by AMER in partnership with IICM, exceeded expectations and revealed an increase in attention to renewable energies.

The “Early Bird” phase of RENMOZ 2024 continues until 31st August. This is an unmissable opportunity for partners and sponsors to guarantee their participation in the event. Organized by ALER and AMER, RENMOZ 2024 returns to Maputo on 27th and 28th November, with the support of GET.invest Mozambique.

The quest for universal energy access in Africa is more than urgent — it's essential — given its role in social development and economic transformation. To meet the daunting challenge of providing affordable electricity to 570 million unelectrified Africans by 2030, we must triple our efforts, connecting 90 million people each year. While grid expansion will continue to play its part, the more rapid reduction in the electrification backlog will require the deployment of the full suite of technology solutions with a far greater emphasis on off-grid solutions, including green mini-grids (GMGs) and solar home systems (SHS). 

In March, ALER signed a contract with the African Development Bank (AfDB)/Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) to implement the Africa Mini-Grid Market Acceleration Programme (AMAP) in four Portuguese-speaking African countries, namely Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.

The Chairman of PRODEL's Board of Directors, Pedro Afonso, said that the thermoelectric power stations remain on standby and are only available to meet possible load compensation in the event of a hydrological deficit. This information was provided by the head of PRODEL during the 1st CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar on 2nd July, in Lisbon.

The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, which holds the acting presidency of the CPLP, together with the Energy Thematic Committee of the CPLP Consultative Observers, coordinated by ALER and RELOP, promoted the 1st CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar yesterday, 2nd July. The event, which took place in the Auditorium of the CPLP headquarters in Lisbon (Portugal), was the meeting point for members of government, leaders of energy companies and financiers, in a debate on the contribution of climate finance mechanisms to accelerating the energy transition in CPLP Member States.

The fund that will speed up the exchange of Cape Verde's debt to Portugal will focus on water, sanitation and energy, and could grow to 140 million euros, said Gilson Pina, National Planning Director of the Cape Verde Ministry of Finance, on 2nd July, on the sidelines of the 1st Energy and Climate Seminar, which took place at the headquarters of the CPLP in Lisbon.

ALER was present at the Africa Energy Forum (AEF 2024), which took place between June 25 and 28, 2024, in Barcelona. This edition, where ALER was a Partner Association, focused on "Energy Systems of the Future - Balancing Africa's Needs with Global Goals".

During the opening ceremony of APUA's 58th Annual Meeting, EDM's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Marcelino Gildo Alberto, defended investment in electricity infrastructures, especially the interconnection of Power Transmission Lines between neighboring countries, as well as the commitment to the Energy Transition, as answers to leveraging energy supply levels for the industrialization and modernization of the African continent.

The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, which holds the Presidency-in-Office of the CPLP, together with the Energy Thematic Commission of the CPLP Consultative Observers, coordinated by ALER and RELOP, are promoting the 1st CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar. The event, which will take place on 2nd July 2024, at the CPLP headquarters Auditorium in Lisbon (Portugal), brings together members of government, energy company leaders and financiers in a debate on the energy transition in CPLP Member States.

On 19th June 2024, the DGRNE held a webinar on "Developing regulations and compliance framework for low-emission transport and an electric mobility roadmap for São Tomé and Príncipe". 

ALER is looking for a Junior Project Manager for a paid professional internship under the IEFP's ATIVAR.PT Internships measure. The purpose of the internship is to monitor developments in the renewable energy sector and implement ALER's activities in Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe and Guinea-Bissau.

The member states of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) have been progressing at different rates in the development and implementation of their energy transition strategies. The multiple contexts and challenges have led to different solutions and approaches to a common struggle: decarbonizing economies more quickly and meeting climate objectives.  

The latest editions of ALER's Market Sheets, now known as ALER Market Outlook, were launched on 27th and 28th May,during the ALER Market Outlook 2024 event. To provide a brief overview of the renewable energy sector in Portuguese-speaking African countries, the ALER Market Outlook condenses all the privileged information that ALER has access to, highlighting the most recent and relevant data for each country.

The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, which holds the Presidency of the CPLP, together with the Energy Thematic Committee of the CPLP Consultative Observers, coordinated by ALER and RELOP, and with the institutional support of the CPLP, will promote an Energy and Climate Seminars Series to discuss the contribution of climate finance mechanisms to accelerating the energy transition in the CPLP Member States.

The German-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCILA) wants to strengthen its commitment to the development of the renewable energy sector in Cape Verde through partnerships between German and Cape Verdean companies.

On 4th June, ALER and GreenVenture hosted the webinar “Energizing Africa: How EU Financing is Changing the Renewable Landscape?”. The recording of the webinar and the speakers' presentations are now available online on the event page.

The municipality of Luena, in the province of Moxico, has a new solar power plant with an installed capacity of 25.3MW and the capacity to serve more than 171,000 consumers.

GLOBELEQ, one of the largest investors in the energy production sector in Mozambique, guarantees that, in partnership with the government, it will start building the Namaacha Wind Power Plant in the second half of this year. This will be the first grid-scale wind farm in the country to produce 120MW. 

Registration for the 5th edition of the S-@ccess Conference is now officially open. The event, which has the support of ALER in its dissemination, takes place between 4th and 6th of September, at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), in Palma de Mallorca.

Electricity sector regulations in São Tomé and Príncipe are to change. The legislative package on production and consumption, prepared by the São Tomé and Príncipe General Regulatory Authority (AGER), was in public consultation until the beginning of May.

This morning, on World Energy Day, ALER's Executive Director, Isabel Cancela de Abreu, attended the launch of the 6th edition of "Energia em Números" [Energy in Figures] by the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG), the Energy Observatory and the Energy Agency (ADENE). This is an annual publication that brings together the most relevant data from the energy sector in Portugal.

During an initiative promoted by APE to celebrate World Energy Day, ALER and 20 other Associations signed a Joint Declaration and publicly reaffirmed their commitment to the energy transition. The signing ceremony took place on May 29 at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon.

ALER, in partnership with GreenVenture (an ALER Member and leader in the development of renewable energy projects), will be organising the webinar "Energizing Africa: How EU Financing is Changing the Renewable Landscape?". 

The long-awaited 4th edition of the Business Conference - Renewables in Mozambique (RENMOZ 2024) will take place on 27th and 28th November 2024.

EDP - Energias de Portugal S.A., of which EDP Renováveis (an ALER Member) is a subsidiary, has just launched the 6th edition of the Access to Energy Fund (A2E CSR Fund), through which it selects and finances the best projects for access to renewable energy in communities in African countries. The application period runs until 29th May 2024.

ALER will be present at the 10th Mozambique Mining and Energy Conference and Exhibition (MMEC 2024), to be held on 2nd and 3rd May 2024 in Maputo. This edition, in which ALER is a Partner Association, is organized by AME Trade, in collaboration with ENH, and with the support of MIREME.

Following the announcement that RENMOZ will return to Maputo for its 4th edition, ALER and AMER are now announcing the opening of the "Early Bird" phase for the conference sponsors. This phase runs until 30th June 2024.

ALER's Events Agenda 2024 is now available online (here). As well as providing information on the coming quarters' events, this document helps to identify different investment and networking opportunities.

On 5th April, the Cape Verdean government signed a contract with Cabeólica (an ALER Member) for the ‘expansion of the wind farm and energy storage battery’ project, which will double wind energy production in Cape Verde.

At the beginning of April, the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, inaugurated the Saurimo Photovoltaic Plant in Lunda-Sul, a project with an installed capacity of 26.13 MW, enough to benefit more than 170,000 families.

The President of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ratified the Agreement for the Establishment of the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF), through Presidential Decree no. 11/2024.

Let's imagine an off-grid village in northern Mozambique: Maria, like many other members of her community, some also displaced by the conflicts that have been ravaging the country, faces daily challenges due to the lack of access to electricity, despite the country's abundant energy resources.

The 4th Business Conference - Renewables in Mozambique (RENMOZ 2024) returns to Maputo on 27 and 28 November 2024. Organized by ALER and the Mozambican Renewable Energy Association (AMER), the event aims to promote the renewable energy sector and disseminate crucial data for its development in Mozambique.

Following the success of the 3rd edition of the Business Conference - Renewables in Mozambique (RENMOZ 2023) in November last year, ALER and the Mozambican Renewable Energy Association (AMER) are now publishing the RENMOZ 2023 Thematic Booklet. The document has the support of GET.invest Mozambique, funded by the European Union and Germany, and part of the European GET.invest program.

ALER's Executive Director, Isabel Cancela de Abreu, visited Berlin to take part in the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2024 (BETD.24). The conference, which took place on 19th and 20th March, focused on debating strategies to achieve a tripling of the world's renewable energy capacity.

On 26th March, ALER and the Mozambican Renewable Energy Association (AMER) returned to the Working Group on Mini-Grids.

The National Energy Fund (FUNAE) has revealed that it is investing in the construction of 19 electricity generation mini-grids with a capacity of between 100 and 200MW to improve supply coverage, especially in remote areas.

On 4th March, the European Council adopted a decision on the conclusion of the sustainable investment facilitation agreement (SIFA) between the European Union and Angola. This agreement will make it easier to attract and expand investments while integrating environment and labour rights commitments in the EU-Angola relationship.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) intends to help the government reform the country's entire energy system. Ensuring the financial sustainability of the state electricity company is one of the main priorities.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy, Alexandre Monteiro, believes that, despite successive crises, the country is making steady progress towards decarbonization and is convinced that it will reach the target of 50% renewable energy by 2030.

On 14th March, ALER took part in different events in the sector: the 5th Anniversary Conference of the Fund for Sustainable Access to Renewable Energies (FASER) in Maputo; the virtual meeting of the Africa-Europe Foundation Strategy Group on Energy; and the Digital with Purpose Movement (DwP) workshop in Lisbon.

This 8th March, to celebrate International Women's Day, ALER is publishing an Interview with the two women who lead the Association: Mayra Pereira, President of ALER, and Miquelina Menezes, President of the General Assembly.

Organized by GET.transform, in collaboration with GET.invest and in partnership with ALER and AMER, "Scaling Distributed Generation in Mozambique" took place in Maputo on 29th February.

The Integrated Electrification Planning and Coordination Unit (UIPCE) was created by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy in May 2023 to ensure the government's commitment to provide access to "Energy for All" by 2030.

The INEGI - Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (ALER Member) has published an article on circularity in the photovoltaic industry.

In this new meeting, the Working Group will present a detailed legal analysis and a roadmap with the necessary procedures for developing mini-grid projects and solar home systems in Mozambique. 

The Mozambican government will "boost solar and wind energy" through a renewable energy auction program and advance the construction of "green industrial parks and corridors enabled by clean, reliable and affordable energy".

This increase, according to Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva, will help achieve the government's goal of more than 50% of electricity production from renewable energy by 2030 and close to 100% by 2040.

Angola recently completed the construction of seven photovoltaic power stations, which will add a further 370MW to the public electricity grid and could benefit at least 500,000 inhabitants in rural areas.

On 26th and 27th February 2024, project manager Rita Marouço attended to the 1st Bi-Annual Off-Grid Energy Forum, representing ALER. The event, which took place in Maputo, aimed to promote sustainable energy solutions in Mozambique.

The Luachimo Dam in Lunda-Norte province, which previously produced 8.4 megawatts of energy, is technically ready to generate 34 megawatts.

São Tomé and Príncipe will have a new photovoltaic power station to produce more than 10MW of energy, in a 60.7 million dollar project co-financed by the World Bank, the African Development Bank and Japan.

With an estimated annual production capacity of 11 GWh, the Photovoltaic Solar Park in Santa Maria (Sal Island) is expected to prevent the emission of nine million tonnes of C02 per year and reduce the use of fossil fuels by around 2,500 tonnes/year.

The video of the Good Practices Seminar, held within the scope of the “Action Implementation Agreement” between MINEA, ALER and the EU-Angola Dialogue Facility, is now available online.

The Call for Abstracts for the 5th edition of the S-@ccess Conference is now open and the submission deadline ends on 29th February. 

At the end of last year, ALER's Members unanimously approved the Activities Plan and Budget for 2024. This marks the beginning of a new stage for the Association and its growth alongside the sector's evolution.

The United Nations has declared 26th January 2024 the first International Day of Clean Energy and ALER marked the date with the release of the latest data on the incorporation of clean energy in Portuguese-speaking countries.

The Report of the 3rd edition of the Business Conference - Renewables in Mozambique (RenMoz 2023) is now available online. According to the document, the event established itself as the biggest conference in the renewable energy sector in Mozambique.

The government of Guinea-Bissau has signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the implementation of the project that aims to boost renewable energy.

The country has gained two more charging stations for electric vehicles, inaugurated in the municipality of Tarrafal, as part of the Project to Promote Electric Mobility.

In the latest edition of its Newsletter, the Angolan Renewable Energy Association (ASAER) reviews its activities in the last quarter.

The international financial institution has around 30 million euros in its portfolio to finance renewable energy production projects in São Tomé and Príncipe.

The latest legislation applicable to the energy sector is now available online at LERenováveis.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global renewable electricity capacity increased by 50% between 2022 and 2023, and the next five years will see the fastest growth ever. However, the lack of funding for emerging and developing economies is a problem.

The article "Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Disasters in Mozambique: The Role of Solar Energy and Access to Off-Grid Energy", published in December 2023 by AMER and GOGLA, is now available on the LERenováveis platform.

Recent developments in the renewable energy sector on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde, reflect remarkable progress towards energy sustainability.

The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) took place between 30 November and 12 December, providing important debates and negotiations. Several co-operation agreements were signed during the COP, reflecting the global commitment to tackling climate challenges.

The Multisectoral Regulatory Agency for the Economy (ARME) of Cabo Verde and the Energy Regulatory Authority (ARENE) of Mozambique signed on 8 November a memorandum of understanding, with the purpose of establishing  the terms for effective cooperation in the field of energy regulation.

On Wednesday, December 13th, ALER Members met in a General Assembly (GA) in Luanda, in the first meeting of its kind to take place in Angolan territory. 

In preparation for the initiatives foreseen in ALER's Activity Plan and Budget for 2024, ALER's Executive Director had a meeting with the Brazilian Ambassador to Angola, Rafael de Mello Vidal.

"Renewable Energies are recognized energy sources in the world energy market, due to the increasing improvement of the cost-benefit ratio, the financing that has happened quite frequently, the energy security and incentive policies developed by Governments to attract the private sector."

The Energy Regulatory Authority (ARENE) and the Modern Cooking Facility (MCFA) have launched new initiatives over the past month to boost the development of clean cooking and the expansion of energy grid infrastructure, providing significant opportunities for the country's sustainable development.

In the last two months of the year, the Government of Mozambique moved forward with the publication of two important documents that contribute, on a large scale, to the renewable energy sector in the country.

Huawei Digital Power is a leading global provider of digital energy products and solutions. Committed to integrating digital and power electronics technologies, developing clean energy and enabling the digitalisation of energy to drive the energy revolution towards a better, greener future.

BRILHO is a 5-year programme (2019-2024), with national coverage, that will catalyse Mozambique´s energy market of Improved Cooking Soluctions, Solar Home Systems and Green Mini-grids to provide clean an affordable energy solutions to the off-grid energy products, systems and businesses.

"ACER's main mission (...) is to promote renewable energies and energy efficiency in the country and to actively participate in the ongoing energy transition process. To this end, ACER's main objectives are to be a single voice for the national business community in the sector, in relation to public institutions and national and international organisations in the sector, to promote the development of a harmonious national renewable energy market, the increasingly active participation of the national business community in this market and to be one of the key players in the country's energy transition process."

In October, ALER actively participated in various initiatives in Cape Verde, consolidating partnerships with its members and local partners.

The UN and São Tome and Príncipe recently signed a new cooperation programme for the years 2023 – 2027, aiming to "build a more inclusive and equitable future for the country".

Hidroléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) signed on October 16th a Cooperation Agreement for the development of a solar photovoltaic generation power plant of up to 400MW.

Novare, an investment solutions company, announced in August a new project to install photovoltaic panels for the Novare Matola Mall commercial area in Mozambique, which will serve as a complement to the supply of energy through the electricity grid.

October was the starting month for the Cape Verdean Renewable Energy Association (ACER), founded with the aim of actively participating in the promotion of renewable energies and in the energy transition process of Cape Verde, ACER intends to represent companies in the sector before public and international institutions.

On October 24th, the European Union announced an investment package for Cabo Verde through the Global Gateway strategy. This investment package will be around 246 million euros and aims to support the Government of Cabo Verde in the renewable energy sector, sustainable transport and digital connectivity.

In an interview with LUSA, Pietro Toigo, the AfDB's representative in Angola, highlighted the financial expansion that has taken place over the last five years to boost investment in the Angolan energy sector.

This October, the Angolan Renewable Energy Association (ASAER) resumed publication of its Bulletin, which is now available for consultation.

The first solar power plant with an energy storage system in Mozambique was officially inaugurated on 14 September. Located in the province of Cuamba, Niassa district, the Tetereane Power Plant combines a photovoltaic solar energy capacity of 19 MWp with energy storage in 7 MWh batteries.

On September 18, the European Commission announced the creation of the Global Gateway Business Advisory Council, with the participation of two ALER members, EDP - Energias de Portugal and Cândido José Rodrigues II Renewables.

ALER's Executive Director, Isabel Cancela de Abreu, was a guest speaker on the second day of the "Mozambique Gas & Energy Summit", appearing on the same panel as Marcelina Mataveia, National Director of Energy at the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), who was honoured at the ceremony as "Energy Woman of the Year".

São Tomé and Príncipe took over the rotating presidency of the CPLP on August 27th, during the XIV Conference of Heads of State and Government. The documents approved for the new presidency, entitled "Youth and Sustainability in the CPLP", are now available for consultation.

On September 18th, the Energy Regulation Authority (ARENE) released the list of companies shortlisted for the tender to select two energy producers for the development of two solar photovoltaic projects with a capacity of 30 MWac each.

"On the 22nd and 23rd November 2023, the first edition of the Mozambique – EU Global Gateway Investment Forum, under the theme “Creating business opportunities”, will explore ways to attract quality investments within the framework of the Global Gateway."

ALER's President, Mayra Pereira, writes in a column for the Mozambican newspaper "Diário Económico" about the importance of energy access in Lusophone African countries, emphasising the need for cooperation and the exchange of knowledge in the energy sector, so that each country can find its own sustainable solutions and achieve the desired energy transition.

Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), an ALER member company, and Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), the company that operates the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Project, have signed an agreement to provide financing of more than 3 million dollars (2.8 million euros).

Águas de Ponta Preta (APP), an ALER Member, issued the first green bond on the Cape Verde Stock Exchange (BVC) with 100% proceeds, totalling 500,000 escudos.

"The 8th ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2023) is set to take place in Praia, Cabo Verde, on October 12th and 13th, under the theme "Empowering Sustainable Energy in the ECOWAS Region". (...) ESEF 2023 is organized in parallel with the 4th edition of the International Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fair of Cabo Verde.(...) Therefore, I invite all stakeholders, including government entities, financial institutions, professionals from the public and private sectors, and renewable energy enthusiasts, to join ESEF 2023."

The International Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fair (FIEREE) is returning to Praia, Cape Verde, from 12 to 14 October.

In September, ALER starts the new academic year as a partner of four conferences dedicated to renewable energy. From Europe to Mozambique, we will be attending three conferences, for which we offer a 20% discount on the registration fee to ALER Members.

A new GET.invest Finance Catalyst application cycle has opened until August 8th for sustainable energy companies and projects in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The European Union Delegation has launched a survey among the European private sector in Mozambique, to map the presence of European companies and their contributions to the Mozambican economy.

In Cape Verde, the electricity generated by Cabeólica's four wind farms, an ALER member, prevented the emission of 47,261 tonnes of CO2 in 2022

The new National Strategy for 2023-2028 signed between the AfDB and the Government of Mozambique sets out strategies to increase the electrification network in the country's homes and businesses.

The fact that the Countries’ Week had an extra day dedicated to Brazil reflects the new level that ALER reached, which is now in a position to expand its geographical scope of action, initially focused only on Portuguese-speaking African countries, and promote close relations with Brazil.

ALER Members were present at this year's edition, including the Ministry of Infrastructure and Natural Resources, EDM, CJR Renewables, Green-Venture and Miranda & Associados, who were able to establish contacts with African and international participants.

In June, ALER's member Águas de Ponta Preta (APP) won three projects that widely contribute to the development of renewable energies in Cape Verde.

The first floating ocean thermal energy conversion platform will be designed in São Tomé and Príncipe. This 1.5 MW unit, called Dominique, is being developed by Global OTEC and is expected to be installed in 2025.

The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa reopened, on June 22nd, the call for proposals to encourage clean energy-based mini-grid solutions in Mozambique. Funding can be used for the deployment and operation of energy services through mini-grids.

The Government of Portugal committed on June 22nd to convert 12 million euros of Cape Verde's debt to Portugal, to support funding and invest in the country's climate transition until 2025.

In June, we launched a new website that responds to all current needs and that, in a dynamic and intuitive way, summarises all the initiatives that ALER develops. Find out what's new.

Inotec, an ALER member, inaugurated a factory to produce pre-paid meters in the electricity and water segments. This new development contributes to Angola's future through economic growth via industrialisation.

The Africa Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Centre took shape during May and is already led by Jean-Pierre Ndoutoum.

"Cidade Velha, within the scope of sustainable cities, became, together with Cidade da Praia, the first signatory of the Covenant of Mayors for Sub-Saharan Africa in Cape Verde. Today, it is part of the largest network of cities in the African region, joining 11,000 cities that, on a global scale, are working daily against climate change."

The action proposed by MINEA and ALER, with the financial support of the EU, aims to create an "Exchange of Experiences on Solar Home Systems", in which a technical mission to Mozambique and a diagnosis on the challenges and barriers to off-grid electrification in the Angolan context are planned.

ALER is the official partner of the 25th edition of the Africa Energy Forum (AEF) which is being held for the first time in continental Africa. ALER Members are entitled to a 20% discount on their registration.

During this visit in Cape Verde, ALER had a meeting with the Minister for Industry, Trade and Energy, Alexandre Monteiro, strengthening the ties between the two institutions.

The Namibe province has, since May 30th, one more energy solution, with the launch of the new Caraculo photovoltaic power plant, built in an area of 33 hectares, 60 kilometres from Moçâmedes.

The first General Assembly of 2023 took place on May 4th in Praia, Cape Verde, and was broadcasted online to all members who unanimously approved the 2022 Annual Report & Accounts

The Sustainable Energy Access to Manage Water Resources:  Addressing the Energy – Water Nexus in Cabo Verde project,  is looking for project proposals to integrate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency technologies in water production systems.

May was marked by the latest developments at the Lauca Hydroelectric Power Station in Angola and the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Power Station in Mozambique. The hydroelectric plant in Angola was inaugurated by MINEA, and the hydroelectric plant in Mozambique was handed over to a consortium led by EDF.

In São Tomé and Príncipe, May was characterised by the three-day workshop for the capacity building of technicians from several state institutions and non-governmental organizations with the aim to prepare an action plan on transparency in Climate Action.

The Graça Machel Fund, in partnership with Sasol-Mozambique and FDC, launched the Women in Energy Conference Series whose first edition is already scheduled for March 2024. This initiative aims to promote the development of a more inclusive energy sector.

Electric mobility is already a governmental strategy to achieve energy transition. In May, Minister Alexandre Monteiro guaranteed that "we are creating the conditions for [this] acceleration phase" and APP, an ALER Member, reflects on the needs that arise from this growth.

s coordinator of the recently created Thematic Commission on Energy, ALER participated in the meeting of the coordinators of the CPLP Thematic Commissions held on April 18th.

As coordinator of the recently created Thematic Commission on Energy, ALER participated in the meeting of the coordinators of the CPLP Thematic Commissions held on April 18th.

GOGLA's investment database leads to the conclusion that by 2022 the off-grid sector has seen a 63% increase in investment, and that more funding needs to be made available to invest in clean and affordable energy.

ARENE has developed a platform for processing and register Digital Certificates for Energy Service Operators. The platform is already available online.

In April, the Government of Cape Verde approved the Annual Operational Plan 2023 of the Energy Transition Programme and held the International Conference of Partners, April 27thand 28th, in the island of Boa Vista, to present the Strategic Programme for Sustainable Development.

Over 31 days, ALER Members will have at their disposal exclusive discounts, events, information and everything that is happening in the renewable energy sector will be presented first-hand to our Members.

"Effectively, distributed energy generation solutions and, in particular, Microproduction contribute to the empowerment of families, to the increased competitiveness of companies, promote employment and employability and foster social inclusion, equality and gender equity in access to energy."

The African Guarantee Fund (AGF) and the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) have launched a partnership to promote financial innovation, access to responsible carbon finance, and investments in clean cooking companies and programs. 

Under A2E Fund, EDP - Energias de Portugal, an ALER member, provides one million euros to finance projects that contribute to combat poverty and energy exclusion in Africa. Organisations can apply until May 22nd.

"Lusophone Compact (LC) operates as a framework, a gateway that is always open, for private companies to submit their projects. (...) The Compact creates a privileged space for the development of renewable energy by the private sector in the PALOP."

During the month of March ALER was present at EAIF 2023 which took place in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Rita Marouço, ALER's Project Manager, was an invited speaker at the panel "Private-public dialogue on renewable electrification & investment Opportunities in Southern Africa" which took place on March 23rd.

Meeting of Energy Ministers resulted in new developments for energy policies in the country of which: adoption of the updated ECOWAS Energy Policy, approval of the Regional Electricity Code and the ECOWAS Green Hydrogen Policy.

On March 17th, ASAER held the fourth meeting of the GTER in partnership with ANPG for a joint discussion on the "Contribution of Biofuels in National Energy Diversification" and, consequently, the creation of a strategy for biofuels in Angola.

ALER was at the presentation seminar of the Lusophone Compact held in March in Lisbon. The seminar documentation is available for consultation.

Through this financial facility, the Cooperative will install an irrigation system powered by two SF2 solar pumps to irrigate an area of four hectares of vegetables near the Nhandzihe River, located in the North of Zavala District in Mozambique.

This workshop was promoted by GET. Transform with the aim to increase the knowledge of stakeholders in the Mozambican energy sector regarding distributed generation and highlight its potential in the energy sector.

In May, we resume the ALER Talks cycle in an event dedicated to the debate of "Renewable Energy and Green Finance in Lusophone African countries", in which we will address topics such as:  The carbon market; Green bonds/green bonds; ESG - Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance.

"It was the purchase of this solar kit that allowed us to open the doors of our restaurant in December. Since then, the solar PV kit has given us enormous satisfaction and so far we have not suffered any inconvenience with the system."

The construction and administration of the power plants will be done by June 2025. The project co-financed by the World Bank will total almost 3.5 MW of energy.

Angola is now hosting the new headquarters of the Regional Centre for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency in Central Africa, whose aim will be to develop studies on the region's needs.

The Digital Energy Challenge is now accepting applications for start-ups that want to develop digital transformation projects in the energy sector. 

In an interview with the Guinean newspaper "O Democrata", Abdu Jaquité, delegate of the Government of Guinea-Bissau said that the photovoltaic (PV) power plants that are planned to be installed will make up for the country's energy deficit.

In February, Belgium presented a new cooperation programme for Mozambique worth 25 MEUR. Norway and Sweden signed agreements with the World Bank to support phase II of the "Energy for All" programme worth 30 MEUR.

The initiative comes under the "Covenant of Mayors for Sub-Saharan Africa" (CoM SSA), funded by the European Union and launched in 2016.

The 4th edition of the Conference will take place from 26 to 28 April at the University of Fine Arts in Palma de Mallorca, Spain and has the representation of several participants from Mozambique and Portugal.

The objective of the study is to establish a document that will guide decision-making in the implementation of power plant projects using renewable energy in the national electricity grid.

In the week of Women's Day, ALER relaunches a Solidarity Campaign to provide energy to local communities in Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau by promoting projects authored by women entrepreneurs.

In the month the new state budget for 2023 came into force, which includes benefits for renewable energy, Cape Verde has also established cooperation with Portugal for the protection of the oceans and climate action.

The 2022 World Bank Report charts the evolution of energy indicators by country and concludes that sub-Saharan Africa scored highly on electricity access policy.

Air pollution is now the number one global environmental health risk, according to the WHO. Cooking over smoky fires and inefficient stoves that burn fuels like firewood and charcoal is responsible for 3.2 million deaths every year and nearly a quarter of global outdoor air pollution.

ALER met with the Minister of Infrastructures, Natural Resources and Environment of São Tomé and Príncipe who reinforced the Government's commitment to renewable energy. On February 8th join us on the webinar "Energy Efficiency, a driving force for energy transition in São Tomé and Príncipe".

The 2022 data published by APREN, an ALER Member, reveals that 44 253 GWh of electricity were generated in mainland Portugal in 2022, of which 56.9% was of renewable sources.

"Mozambique shows its commitment with the mitigation actions against climate change, leaving a clear command so that the conduction of all and any reform and implementation of projects at the energy sector level, take into consideration the need to enhance the use of renewable energies."

New renewable energy projects in Angola include the construction of Angola's largest solar PV power plant, in Biópio, a project developed the MCA, an ALER member, and plans to build four more PV power plants.

"The purpose of the dedicated funding for Mozambique is to allow the private sector to contribute to rural development through electrification. The Country Window should allow us to finance up to 10 projects dedicated to accelerating access to clean energy, in a sustainable and inclusive way."

In November, the Africa Mini-Grids Program was launched, a technical assistance program for new development opportunities for energy supply. Angola is one of the countries contemplated by the program.

The last General Assembly of 2022 took place on December 12th at the Southern Sun Hotel in Maputo and was transmitted online to all members who approved unanimously the Action Plan and Budget for 2023.

Telectrinf, an ALER Member, in consortium with a local partner, won the tender for the installation of the photovoltaic (PV) power plant on the island of Bolama in Guinea-Bissau.

The launch of the ElectriFI Country Window for Mozambique, an impact investment facility, funded by the European Union, took place at the Business Conference Renewables in Mozambique.

The Government of Mozambique, through FUNAE, an ALER member, inaugurated two photovoltaic power plants built in Tete province. The two powerplants were estimated at more than 160 million meticais.

The expansion of the wastewater sanitation system was inaugurated in Santa Maria, Sal island in Cape Verde. This action was promoted in a PPP with the Government, the Sal Municipality and APP - an ALER member.

Until January 16th, UNIDO is accepting applications for the development of a regulatory, legal and practical framework for reducing non-technical losses from the commercial network and absorbing distributed renewable energy in urban and rural contexts

Within the scope of COP27 that took place in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, we highlight the contributions and activities developed by IRENA and REN21, of which ALER is a member.

 The European Commission concluded negotiations with Angola on a Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement (AFIS) – the first agreement of this type signed by the EU.

Financing of one million euros, under the fourth edition of Access to Energy Fund, reinforces EDP's social impact strategy in emerging economies and its focus on ensuring a fair energy transition. The projects now selected will benefit close to one million people in four African countries.

Ulisses Correia e Silva, Cape Verde Prime Minister, declared that the country aims to anticipate the target of 50% of energy production from renewable energies set for 2030.

The event was a place for sharing and reflect on the most relevant and current issues for the energy sector. The speakers presentations are available for consultation.

Belgium will provide 25 million euros to Mozambique for the development of renewable energy projects, over a period of five years. Additionally, they announced an additional contribution of one million euros for new drinking water installations in Mozambique.

"At the end of 2021, the Government of Mozambique estimated that by 2030 around 40% of all new energy connections would be through off-grid technologies, such as domestic solar systems and mini-grids, and this year by 2022, around 25% of these additional connections were reached by business initiatives supported by the BRILHO program."

The Conference committee proposes that academics and other industry professionals share their Abstract proposals until November 15 to present their results at the S-@ccess Conference.

The Government of Mozambique, represented by ARENE and within the scope of the PROLER Program, launched a tender for the selection of an Independent Power Producer for 30 MWac Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants.

During the months of November and December, ALER will organize three events in Mozambique, take advantage of the sponsorship opportunities that we have available to give greater visibility to your company, business or project.

"But there are still many challenges, particularly those linked to the competitiveness of the local industry, which is negatively impacted, among others, by the cost of raw materials, capital and energy."

During the month of October, ASAER published a special edition of the newsletter "Boletim Informativo" and organised the Association's first webinar dedicated to the theme “Environmental and Social Impacts of Renewable Energies in Angola”.

The "Clean Energy Mini-Grid Policy Development Guide", initially published and developed by UNIDO, ARE and AfDB, has now been translated into Portuguese.

In an interview with Forbes África Lusófona, Isabel Cancela de Abreu, Executive Director of ALER, spoke about the path that led her to the moment of creation of ALER and about the main activities developed by the action.

João Baptista Borges, Minister of Energy and Water of Angola, received a copy of the Renewable Energies - National Report, delivered by the Executive Director of ALER, Isabel Cancela de Abreu.

To reach the goal of 70% of energy obtained from renewable energy sources, by 2025, Angola is looking for alternatives for the decarbonization of its energy matrix. Study indicates that it will be necessary to invest about 23.3 billion dollars.

The African Development Bank (AfDB), through the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), approved the granting of USD 2.5 million financing to the Mozambican government for the development of renewable energy.

São Tomé and Príncipe and Angola were present at the 5th Assembly of the International Solar Alliance, in New Delhi. The two countries, as ISA members, will have new opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

UNIDO is recruiting a Technical Specialist for the CEREEAC IED  in Luanda, Angola.  The TE will support the CEREEAC IED in the establishment of the centre in its key operational processes.

"We reinforced the activities for which we are already known, positioning ourselves as an active and relevant player in the debate on the energy sector in the Portuguese-speaking countries, a networking facilitator to national/regional/international level and a source of privileged and up-to-date information, developing renewable energies growth in these countries."

UNIDO is recruiting two young professionals from São Tomé and Príncipe to work in the Climate and Energy sectors under the project “Building institutional capacity for an investment program in renewable energy and energy efficiency for São Tomé and Príncipe”.

The AfDB and the Portuguese Government signed a guarantee agreement to be granted to the African Development Bank under the Lusophone Compact, in which Portugal will provide guarantees of up to 400 million euros exclusively for projects financed by the AfDB and approved under this agreement.

The Government of Cape Verde signed, on September, a Memorandum of Understanding with Cabeólica, an ALER member, for the expansion project of the Cabeólica wind farm and the installation of energy storage infrastructure, with a estimated budget of 33 million euros.

TotalEnergies, subsidiary of Total Eren an ALER's member,  together with Sonagás and Greentech announced on September 22nd the signing of the concession contract for the installation and operation of a photovoltaic solar powerplant “Quilemba” with an installed capacity of 35 megawatts.

Isabel Cancela de Abreu, ALER’s Executive Director, gave an interview to Público newspaper in which she explained that African countries “are energy islands, they do not have the interconnections that exist in Europe and, deep down, they are used to fending for themselves”.

In August, the first photovoltaic powerplant in São Tomé and Príncipe was installed, enabling the production of 540 kW of photovoltaic energy. After the second phase of implementation, EMAE is expected to reduce fuel consumption for electricity production by 10%.

From the financing and investment projects of GET.invest, BRILHO and UNIDO, opportunities arise for the development and integration of clean energy access systems in small rural areas of Mozambique.

ALER is looking for a Financial and Administrative Manager to take up their duties as soon as possible, preferably in the first half of October.

I realized that in the energy sector women are hardly represented, therefore representation goes to men. We had testimonies from some women who were able to explain how difficult it was for them to integrate in this sector. Often, due to lack of knowledge or motivation, society itself considers that the energy sector is more suitable for men.

The training session aimed to present the tariff calculation tool for mini-grid projects, a resource developed by ARENE with the support of GET. transform.

The two projects of photovoltaic solar energy production are part of the “Energia Angola 2025” plan and have a capacity of 285 megawatts. Both photovoltaic power plants are expected to initially benefit more than two million people.

Banco BCI, through the project “Towards Sustainable For All in Mozambique”, developed a credit line with the aim of promoting the dissemination of integrated renewable energy systems for productive uses in rural areas in Mozambique.

New IRENA report, published on July 13th, shows that almost two-thirds of renewable power added in 2021 had lower costs than the cheapest coal-fired options in G20 countries.

The "Microgrid Global Innovation Forum" takes place from September 13th to 15th in London. Use the ALER discount code and enjoy a 20% discount on registration.

Águas de Ponta Preta (APP), ALER’s member, won a tender for the acquisition of electricity for the development of a 5 MW photovoltaic solar plant, on the island of São Vicente, and a 5 MW photovoltaic solar plant, on the island of Sal.

The Government of Cape Verde announced the public tender for the installation and operation of 40 charging stations for electric vehicles. Randi Graça, Engineer at Águas de Ponta Preta, concludes that probable commercial rates that may apply are not being considered.

In June, ALER was present at the Africa Energy Forum 2022 that took place in Brussels, Belgium, as well as at the Energy Access Investment Forum 2022 event that took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

REN21's 2022 Global Status of Renewable Energy Report states that the global transition to clean energy is not happening. “There was record growth in renewable energy, but the world missed the historic chance to recover clean energy,” the report says.

The construction of the Cabinda Solar Power Plant and a battery storage system were approved, due to the need for investment to boost the production, transport and distribution of electricity.

"The population's needs are pressing and grow with the number of inhabitants and, for this reason, the perseverance to improve must always be constant."

São Tomé & Príncipe and Global OTEC signed the world's first agreement to develop a PPA for the development and deployment of an OE floating platform.

Mozambique's new Electricity Law was published in the Boletim da República on July 11th and is now available for consultation.

The International conference "Renewable Energy in Angola 2022" will provide an overview of Renewable Energies. Angola, by 2025 intends to electrify 50% of the population and that at least 7.5% of the electricity generated in the country comes from renewable energy sources other than large hydro, with a total power of 800 MW planned. 

Applications for the Construction of a mini solar grid in Bolama as well as the respective electricity grid, are accepted until June 27, at 12pm

The Government of Angola has approved an agreement for the feasibility studies, worth more than US$1 billion to bring energy to 60 communes and has also signed a contract worth 1,USD 95 billion for the works for the electrification of 26 municipal offices and 56 communes.

During the Forum held from 16 to 19 May in Kigali, Rwanda, initiatives amounting to more than US$347 million were presented to support energy access and transition.

Renewable energies are "a fundamental foundation for security and overall improvements in growth and living standards", says David Malpass, President of the World Bank

ALER promoted an Angola-Mozambique institutional exchange action in the field of renewable energies in Maputo from 24 to 28 May.

ALER organized the 4th Edition of ALER Open Day, which followed the ALER General Assembly, in which the Members elected the new members of the governing structure for the 3rd term of the Association.

The General Directorate for Natural Resources and Energy celebrates, from May 23rd to June 5th, the Energy, Geology and Environment Fortnight

"The government is pursuing ambitious energy policy goals such as electricity access for the entire population by 2030, and a freshly passed new electricity law provides an improved legal framework for Independent Power Producers (IPP) and renewable power generation."

Until May 23rd, registration is open for the Online Workshop Training for Trainers: Training Program on Sustainable Energy Solutions for Islands.

"The last four years have been of hard work, with an important progress in the areas of regulation, planning and structuring of the action plans. From now on, the 2022-2030 period should be fulfilled with important milestones (...)"

Between April 9th and 15th, São Tomé and Príncipe hosted the SIDS DOCK delegation to start taking action on ocean energy, in order to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change.

This type of initiatives is extremely relevant for carrying out a real diagnosis of the impact of renewable energies, in order to define policies and monitor their development. 

On May 24th, ALER will hold the ALER Open Day, an opportunity to exchange contacts, share and disseminate privileged information with our partners and other members.

During the month of April, the Women Sustainable Energy Program ended thematic sessions and began the last phase of the project, dedicated to mentoring sessions.

This project  provides for technical assistance for the Restructuring and Privatization of the Electricity Sector, with the main objective of reducing the tax burden of the energy on the public sector and reduce system losses through better management.

ALER's Member, TOTAL EREN SA, won the tender for the development of the Dondo power plant project, in Sofala Province, launched under the Renewable Energy Auction Program (PROLER).

Renewable energy continued to expand steadily and well above the long-term trend, with share in total capacity expansion reaching new record of 81% last year.

EDP  started the 4th edition of the A2E CSR Fund in which it will support projects in Angola, Mozambique and, also, in Nigeria, Malawi and Rwanda.

ALER participated on the 3rd edition of FIEREE - International Fair of Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency that took place from March 24th to 26th, at Cidade da Praia in Cape Verde.

In the month that marks World Women's Day, ALER gives voice to 13 inspiring women who fight for gender equality in the energy sector.

The largest solar power plant in Mozambique was inaugurated on April 1st, in Metoro in the province of Cabo Delgado. This project is the result of a partnership between ALER's two members, EDM and Neoen.

Isabel Cancela de Abreu, ALER'S Executive Director, participated in the morning program “Bem vindos” of RTP Africa, in which she reinforced the urgency of the development of renewable energies.

The Nexo Energia-Água project is accepting applications until December 31st for sustainable energy projects for water production in Cape Verde.

This Wednesday, March 30th, the Electricity Law in Mozambique was approved by the National Assembly, a document that aims to adapt the legal framework to the challenges of universal access to energy.

Registrations for the AFSIA Solar Awards are open until May 13rd, this year Isabel Cancela de Abreu, ALER's Executive Director, will be part of the jury that recognizes the best contributions to the use of solar energy.

ALER participated in the second meeting of the Renewable Energy Working Group (REWG), with the co-organization of AFD – French Development Agency and ASAER - Angolan Association of Renewable Energy.

One of the needs of São Tomé and Príncipe is to acknowledge the current challenges of the energy sector, namely the improvement of the capacities of the institutions technical staff, therefore, a training action began for the technicians from of all institutions linked to the energy sector.

On March 10th at 18:30 (GMT) ALER joins HEDEN Lisbon to talk about energy, women and sustainability.

The Fair will take place under the topic “For a Green Economy, Cleaner and Efficient Solutions”, between 24 and 26 March, in Praia, Cape Verde.

The first two training sessions of the Sustainable Energy Program for Women were dedicated to social media management and personal marketing.

The Workshop on Entrepreneurship and Startups in Sustainable Energy will last for two days, and will be dedicated to the planning, management and implementation of projects in Sustainable Energy.

The 7th EU-Africa Business Forum featured the session “Angola: a new destination for EU investments”.

BRILHO announced, in February, the launch of the 2nd Call for applications to the "Market Development Fund" program.

The MCA Group, an ALER's associate, in partnership with the University of Benguela, established a protocol for paid internships for newly graduated engineers.

The new online plataform aims to respond to the need for a single point of access to European support and funding instruments for clean energy solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The National Renewable Energy Action Plan and the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan set goals to ensure the country's energy transition by 2030 and 2050.

"The Regulation establishes a set of principles and standards that point very clearly to the solutions that the Government has decided to adopt (...)"

Applications are open to energy startups from all over the African continent until February 11th

ALER's associated Mozambique Electricity, has launched a tender for feasibility studies for the floating solar power plant in the Chicamba Hydropower plant, in Mozambique

The analysis will be discussed with the Members of both Associations at a meeting on February 10th at 9am PT, 11am Moçambique

Applications were available until January 31st and 26 were received from Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe.

EDM is committed to reach the Universal Energy Access for all Mozambicans by the year 2030

Source Energia and Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), have reached financial close on the 19MWp (15MWac) Cuamba Solar PV plant with a 2MW (7MWh) energy storage system

The workshop took place last january 21th, in the auditorium of the Brazil/S.Tomé Training Center

This regulation is the result of the Government’s efforts to recognise the importance of the sector to catalyse rural socio-economic development, leveraging private sector investment and improving the living conditions of millions of people

Happy holidays and a great 2022 is what we hope for ALER and for all of you!

SNV, within the BRILHO Energy Africa Mozambique programme's scope, held the "Accelerating Access to Off-Grid Renewable Energy" event on November 26th which celebrated the programme's progress

ALER, in partnership with AMER and with the support of GET.invest Mozambique, will organize a webinar on  February 24th for the presentation and discussion of the impacts of this long-awaited document in particular in the mini-grid and solar home systems market segments.

The meeting took place on November 23rd, organised by the national coordination of the UNIDO project, the DE-DGRNE and the UNIDO central office.

This assembly was unanimously approved, the 2019 and 2020 accounts report, the plan of activities for the year 2022, the strategic plan 2021-2023, the communication strategy and also the electoral regulation for the future elections of the members of the AMER Board in 2022.

The ALER General Assembly took place on December 17th, exclusively online, where the 2022 Action Plan and Budget was unanimously approved.

GTER - Renewable Energy Working Group, held its first meeting on November 17th, co-organised by the British Embassy and ASAER

According to The Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy of Cape Verde, Alexandre Monteiro, Cape Verde's strategy is to increase its resilience in the face of external shocks, by reducing energy dependence on the import of fossil fuels.

ALER is looking for two new employees to start their duties in January 2022

ALER celebrates two years of collaboration with GET.invest to promote renewable energies in Mozambique

Green People's Energy for Africa, Energising Development (EnDev) and Energypedia have launched the Mozambique Off-grid Knowledge Hub.

 AMER - Mozambican Renewable Energy Association has launched a Statement for COP26 in which they present their vision of the goals regarding energy from renewable resources in Mozambique

The Cornerstone of Rural Electrification Initiative (CORE) was created to address the immense capacity building and technical assistance needs of the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector

The Angolan Association of Renewable Energies, presented on September 30 at the event "ASAER and the promotion of renewable energies in Angola", it launched its 1st Newsletter

UNIDO, ENERGIA and GWNET came together to hold the side-event "Improving gender equality and women's empowerment to accelerate a fair, inclusive and climate-resilient energy transition"

Millennium bim, who particicpated in the 2nd ALER Talk, considers that "the domestic financial sector will have a catalytic role in the financing of renewable energies through the provision of financing in local currency and financing products dedicated to the market"

ALER's Executive Director, Isabel Cancela de Abreu participated as speaker in the 2nd session of the RELOP 2021's II Cycle of Debates, under the topic “Impact of climate change on the hydrocarbons sector”.

ALER will get back to physical events! See you in a month in Maputo to discuss C&I market potential in Mozambique and engage with all national stakeholders. Stay tuned for more info! 

SNV launched, through the BRILHO programme, the extension of the first Call for a specific project for mini-grids

The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe recently announced a partnership with the Global OTEC Program for the development of the country's first Floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion platform.

APP-Ambiente, ALER'S associate, is implementing the second expansion of the Santa Maria WWTP in Ilha do Sal

The APREN, Portuguese Renewable Energy Association' conference will take place on the 9th and 10th of November

Telectrinf is ALER's most recent Associate.

See all support documents for the 2nd ALER Talk: the "Role of National Banks in Financing the Renewable Energy Sector". 

UNIDO supports São Tomé and Príncipe and other CPLP countries in Africa in the translation of the UNIDO Small Hydropower Guidelines and the Clean Energy Mini-Grid Policy Development Guide and Templates from English to Portuguese.

No âmbito da comemoração do aniversário da Sonangas, subsidiária da Sonango,l responsável por projetos de energias renováveis, a empresa está a organizar uma série de webinars dedicados aos temas mais relevantes do setor energético.

See the September Editorial of AMER, written by the Executive Director of ALER, Isabel Cancela de Abreu

The second edition of the ALER Talks will take place on October 14th at 10am,  which will focus on the "Role of National Banks in Financing the Renewable Energy Sector". 

Absa Bank Mozambique considers Renewable Energy to be a priority and has therefore qualified as a dedicated team, focused on creating a portfolio specialising in this sector and infrastructure, with the aim also of supporting the country in this transition and universal access to energy by 2030.

The "Energy Sector Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report for the period 2010-2019" of São Tomé and Príncipe is already available, launched by the General Directorate of Natural Resources and Energy (DGRNE) with the funding of the UK Project through the GEF Fund..  

FUNAE, the Mozambican Energy Fund, has in its hands the project of the Majaua hydroelectric small hydro power plant and the mini-networks in Matchedje.

Last Friday, the United Nations held the High Level Dialogue on Energy. The event convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres is the first to bring together leaders to discuss energy issues in over 40 years.

Learn more about the ASAER presentation event and the promotion of renewable energy in Angola that took place on 30 September

ALER signs two Compacts in the scope of Renewables. Learn more about what they consist of.

UNIDO seeks consulting support to develop an implementation and compliance framework for electric appliances, including lighting, air conditioning and refrigeration  until 13 September.

The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe expects to launch two national action plans in September 2021 with support from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). 

On July 8, the first governing bodies of ASAER - Angolan Renewable Energy Association, were elected at a General Assembly held in Luanda.

After a long process carried out by the founding members, which allowed the creation of ASAER with the publication of its statutes on March 5th, 2020, the General Assembly was held last July 8th, where the first governing bodies were elected for the next 3 years.

GN-SEC and UNIDO, together with other partners, have developed a free Sustainable Energy Solutions Capacity Building Program for Islands, available online and in Portuguese.

Knowing where the world stands on SDG7 is especially important this year in the context of COVID-19 and the role energy access plays in fighting the pandemic.

Several sustainable and clean energy projects, including two in Mozambique and one in Angola, will receive a total funding of half a million euros through the A2E Fund.

AMER - ALER’s Member and Partner - recently implemented a study on the Impact of Covid-19 on the Renewable Energy sector.

ALER welcomes our 3 new Members: Luiz Junqueira , HRA Advogados and Navex.

In a historic meeting on 3 June 2021, in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, the eleven Ministers of Energy of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) approved a Renewable Energy Roadmap and the creation of the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Central Africa (CEREEAC) as a specialised institution. During the meeting, the Ministers accepted the kind offer of Angola to host the centre in Luanda.

AMER and UNIDO held a workshop which had as main objective to deepen the knowledge about the recent launch of the Credit Line BCI SUPER, to support the agriculture sector with renewable energy solutions.

The European programme GET.invest and the GIZ Cluster “Financial Systems Development” have joined hands with financiers in Mozambique to increase investments in decentralised renewable energy projects.

The USAID Southern Africa Energy Program (SAEP), a Power Africa initiative, is releasing an updated “Route-to-Market (RTM) Database and Supporting Documentation” as part of its efforts to support the off-grid sector in Mozambique to scale up and increase electricity access in the country.

ALER announces the publication of the Angola Market Sheet, a summary document that discloses exclusive market data in a simple, fast, and easy way. This service is exclusive to our Members, learn how you can have access!

ALER and AFSIA signed on June 2021 a Partnership Agreement to accomplish the beginning of the cooperation between the two associations.

In a significant step toward a clean energy future, Globeleq and its project partners, Source Energia and Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), both ALER’s Members, have celebrated the start of construction of the 19MWp (15MWac) Cuamba Solar PV plant and a 2 MW (7MWh) energy storage system with a ground-breaking event.

ALER is looking for a Project Manager and a Communication and Events Manager to join the Association as soon as possible.

ALER, in partnership with AMER are participating on the review of the Electricity Law in Mozambique. Find out more about the Working Group that met to compile comments and submit to the ESWG.

The Energy Information Management System as an energy platform will provide data to support sustainable development strategy formulation, policy making, planning and monitoring of the energy sector. 

The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe is creating mechanisms to promote necessary measures to meet national energy policies with the support of UNIDO.

ALER and AMER - Mozambican Renewable Energy Association, formalized in May the signing of a Partnership Protocol.

AMER and ALER have been working together and have achieved numerous accomplishments over the years. This partnership has indeed been beneficial for both associations and our Members. 

"New Regulatory Framework for Renewable Energy Projects in Angola" was the theme of the first ALER Talk held on May 27, sponsored by Source Energia, VdA - Vieira de Almeida and IFC - International Finance Corporation. The event had the institutional support of IRSEA - Electricity and Water Services Regulatory Institute.

ALER and AMER, in cooperation with GET.invest Mozambique - funded by the European Union and Germany, and part of the European programme GET.invest, presented the Briefing and animations: Renewables in Mozambique 2021. Now we want to know your opinion!

The Governments of Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, member countries of the Organization for the Development of the River Gambia (OMVG), received a contribution from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to cover the costs of the OMVG Energy Project.

The event took place on 19 and 21 of May. During the second day of the Forum the energy sector in Angola was highlighted and the recording is available online.

Girafa Solar is a project of the Carlos Morgado Foundation and the Nykani Mavoko Association, funded by the Irish Embassy in Mozambique, which enables residents of Mangunze, Gaza, to charge their cellphones, as well as use the space to gather, listen to music, news, and discuss district and national issues.

The Suntaste solar cookers, were chosen in 2017 to equip the homes of the Cabiri Village, in Angola, part of the Solar Villages initiative.

The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe through the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Energy (DGRNE) is mobilizing the application process to host the Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Central Africa (CEREEAC). This region is the only one in Africa that does not yet have such a center. 

The ALER General Assembly took place on April 30th, with the participation of our Members exclusively online, due to the constraints that remain related to Covid-19.

The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the EIB organized the EU-Africa High Level Forum on Green Investment, on 23 April. Prior to this event, a series of Green Talks were organized as well as the EU-Africa Business Forum. See the most relevant events here.

The Energy Regulation Authority (ARENE) announced, this Monday, the pre-qualification of 5 of the 12 bidders for the project to build the Dondo Solar Power Plant, in Sofala, a process that is expected to be finalised by July.

Through the RERD2 project, Enabel, as a FUNAE partner, proposed, among other solutions, the use of innovative geospatial technologies (GIS) to solve the problem of data availability. After analyzing best practices in other countries, a new adapted method was developed internally.

The Angolan government has established through the National Strategy for New Renewable Energy an overall goal of 800 MW of installed capacity by 2025. By that date it is expected that at least 7.5% of electricity generated in the country will come from new renewable energy.

The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA), in partnership with the World Resources Institute (WRI), is building an online, open-source, and interactive geospatial data platform, the first of its kind focused on clean cooking. Called the Clean Cooking Explorer (CCE), this integrated energy planning platform aims to provide stakeholders across public and private sectors with the data and tools needed to inform their strategies for a robust clean cooking transition, especially those related to electric cooking.

Global renewable energy capacity additions in 2020 beat earlier estimates and all previous records despite the economic slowdown that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the new report by the IRENA the world added more than 260 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity last year, exceeding expansion in 2019 by close to 50 per cent.

ALER is pleased to sign an agreement with UNIDO. The new contract, Strategic program to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in the electricity sector of Sao Tome and Principe, has the main  objective to create a strategic partnership to promote renewable energies in Sao Tome and Principe and south-south cooperation with other lusophone countries.

ALER is pleased to announce its two new partners: CTA - Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique and AMER - Mozambican Association of Renewable Energies.

ALER welcomes our 3 new Members: Total Eren, S317 Consulting and Domínio Capital.

EDP launched a podcast that discusses the present and seeks solutions for a more sustainable future. Presented by Catarina Barreiros, it counted with the presence of two ALER Members. Luís Matos Martins, president of TESE and Guilherme Collares Pereira who assumes responsibilities in the area of social innovation at EDP.

The Clean Energy Mini-Grid Policy Development Guide, developed in partnership by ARE, AMDA, , INENSUS, the AfDB Green Mini-Grid Help Desk, and UNIDO, ALER’s partner, outlines the various forms and models that public-private cooperation could take and reflects on the outcomes of policy decisions on mini-grid deployment. 

Learn more about the history of SolarWorks! that started from the solar peak in southern Africa to a full-fledged energy service provider in Mozambique. This was made possible by the GET.invest Finance Catalyst, based on the support provided by the Energizing Development program.

MWE  joins LERenováveis and becomes a partner of ALER and AMER- jointly extending the database content to include also the main legislation applicable to the renewable energy sector in Mozambique. All legislation is now available online for free and universal access.

Become our member to participate in the consultation process to the preliminary draft Regulation on off-grid energy access in Mozambique, which is taking place until the 15th of April.

Germany Development Cooperation has historically played an important role in promoting energy access in the country. With a portfolio of approximately 175 million euros, Germany is among the top five donors in the energy sector. Energy has become a focal area of cooperation, with a wide spectrum of projects being supported, ranging from on-grid renewable energy and off-grid solutions to transmission, distribution and grid densification.

The Seminar Opportunities for IPP Projects: Renewables in Mozambique 2021, took place on the 24th of March and was supported by GET.invest Mozambique - financed by the European Union and Germany, and part of the European program GET.invest.

See the conclusions and the next steps of the Seminar and review the apresentations.

In the preparation for the High-level Economic and Green Investment Forum EU-Africa, that will be on April 23, and this year will be organized by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the EIB, several Green Talks will  take place.The “Green Talk” of São Tomé and Príncipe will take place on April 9, at 10 am, and will address the challenges of the energy transition in São Tomé and Príncipe. This event is organized by the Portuguese Embassy in São Tomé, with the ALER and RDP Africa support.

The President of ALER, Miquelina Menezes, participated as a speaker at the Renewable Energy in Brazil and Africa Seminar: The Clean Engines of Economic Development, organized by the Instituto Brasil África.

The Europe-Mozambique Investment Forum held on 22 and 23 March, had more than 600 registered participants. During the event, sessions were held in the morning, through interactive discussions, based on the presentation of the document “Summary: Renewables in Mozambique 2021”. See the conclusions and the next steps of the Investment Forum and review the animations.

The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Mozambique and the German Embassy have announced their contribution to FASER Fund,  to which the EU has put forward EUR 5 million and the German Government contributed with an additional Euro 0.5 million.

IRENA and SACREEE signed a Memorandum of Understanding , to work together on accelerating the deployment of renewable energy solutions, including decentralised technologies, in Southern African countries. 

 Power Africa provided in February a free  Financial Modeling Tool for Pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) Energy Access Companies, planned for use by companies evaluating PAYGO technology and business models.

On 12 and 13 January 2021, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration with the Vienna Energy Forum (VEF) partners, the Global Women Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) and the SDG7 Youth Constituency (SDG7 YC), convened an expert dialogue with specialists from governments, development cooperation agencies, donors, academia, the private sector and civil society.

During the months of March and April 2021 ALER is offering a promotional campaign for new Members - 30% discount on their 2021 annual membership fee, available in a voucher to use in the services listed in ALER's sponsorship manual until the end of the year.

Rosseti Engenharia, ALER’s Members recently completed the first step of the Tetereane project, a Solar Power Plant that will produce 80MWh of energy per year in Mozambique.

Developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Coalition for Action, which ALER is part off, the white paper Companies in transition towards 100% renewables: focus heating and cooling provides guidance for governments and companies on how to further scale up corporate sourcing of renewable heating and cooling.

EU current and future cooperation programmes will continue to build resilience and adaptation to climate change by giving special attention to the promotion and development of renewable energy. The latest account for 25% of the EU total contribution to the country development: equivalent to EUR 180 million and with the capacity to leverage up to EUR 1 billion of public and private funds.

ALER and AMER, with the support of GET.invest, will organise during 22-24 March the Europe-Mozambique Investment Forum and the Seminar Opportunities for IPP: Renewables in Mozambique 2021. Save the date!

With the objective of boosting the off-grid market in Mozambique, promoting and supporting business initiatives that provide clean and accessible energy solutions to the population and companies, the BRILHO program launched, on February 12, 2020, its first call for proposals for business initiatives in Solar Home Systems, Green Mini-Grids and Improved Cooking Solutions.

In February 2021, BGFA will launch a country window geared specifically towards developers of micro-grids, as previously announced by ALER in July 2020 but due to COVID-19 constringements had to be postponed.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) announced $90 million in new donor commitments for the transformation of the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) into a Special Fund and launches Report on the role of Guarantee Products in Supporting Local Currency Financing of Sustainable Off-Grid Energy Projects in Africa

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), Rocky Mountain Institute and Rockefeller Foundation have launched the Electrifying Economies initiative, an interactive website that takes users on a journey through the social and economic importance of universal electrification.

TIME magazine's new TIME 2030 project, a series that explores how to solve the world's most urgent challenges, highlighted clean cooking as a priority for the next decade.

The ALER General Assembly took place on December 21st, with the participation of our Members exclusively online, due to the developments of the Covid-19 outbreak in Portugal.

The topic of the universal energy access continues to deserve special attention by Governments and international cooperation and development institutions, as the number of people without electricity continues to reach almost 800 million, and without this resource they can hardly ambition progress and equal opportunities, breaking the cycle of poverty once and for all.

From the data, it is worth mentioning that in the last year in Portugal, 49 324 GWh of electricity were generated, accumulated from January to December, of which 61.7% were from renewable sources. Electricity production from renewable energies avoided the emission of 17.8 million tons of CO2.

ALER joined EDP in the organization of a webinar to present the Access to Energy Fund that took place on December 17th and counted with 144 participants. Find out more about the Fund and apply until 10 January

UNIDO invests in training in renewable energies through the training of technicians in São Tomé and Príncipe and also launches the Online Capacity Building Program on Sustainable Energy for Islands, available in portuguese.

Supported by GET.invest, ALER’s partner, the event “From ideas to action: Using end-user subsidies to achieve universal energy access” will take place on 20th of January 2021, organised by GOGLA in collaboration with ESMAP and Lighting Global.

IRENA and the AfDB signed an agreement to work together to contribute to the energy transition of the African continent through joint initiatives that support investments in low carbon energy projects. In addition, in a renewed call of action, members of the IRENA Coalition for Action urge governments to correct the course and redefine their recovery priorities.

The long term Europe-Africa Partnership on Renewable Energy (LEAP-RE) programme, with whom ALER had already collaborate, co-funded by the European Commission (EC) under Horizon 2020 launched the pre announcement to the first Call for AU-EU collaborative research and innovative projects on renewable energy.

RELOP (Association of Energy Regulators of Portuguese Speaking Countries) published the 2020 Regulation Benchmarking Study: Governance Models and Institutional Relations.

ESMAP published RISE 2020: Sustaining the Momentum, the third edition of the RISE report - Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy. This year’s edition measures policy progress in 138 countries on renewable energy, energy efficiency, electricity access, and access to clean cooking.

ALER's Executive Director was part of the discussion on the Perspectives of the Private Sector in Renewable Energy in Mozambique, as moderador of the AMER fourth episode of its series of Webinars on December 15, 2020.

Aiming at increasing the availability of energy, the country has been improving the regulatory framework, as a foundation for creating a more attractive investment environment including for private capital, such as the Auction Program for PROLER Renewable Energies, currently underway, which aims at competitiveness and greater efficiency in making investments with gains for the economy.

The international project under MCA Solar Angola, of the MCA Group, ALER’s Member, foresees the construction of 7 solar PV power plants and the installation of 1 million solar panels, with a total of 370 megawatts (MWp) in the next two years in Angola.

Cabeólica, ALER’s Member, published its 2019 Annual Report, where it is stated that the electricity generated by the company's four wind farms prevented the emission of 53,692 tons of CO2 in 2019, despite a production drop of 7.7 % compared to 2018.

12 competitors expressed their interest in participating in the tender recently launched by the Government for the construction of a solar power plant in Dondo district, Sofala province, under the PROLER auction programme. A total of 135 entities, national and international, purchased the tender documents. The ternder-opening act took place on November 23.

AMER will hold the 4th session of its series of webinars next December 15 with the theme "IPPs in Mozambique". The event will be divided into two sessions and ALER's Executive Director will be the moderador of sessio A, a round table to discuss IPPs in Mozambique.

ALER announces the publication of the Mozambique Market Sheet, a summary document that discloses exclusive market data in a simple, fast and easy way. It includes the latest information on legislation, tariffs, projects, programmes and stakeholders for the various market segments. Guarantee your access to this document now!

You can now download the report for free and access the presentations and the recording of the Webinar of November 20 to learn about all sustainable energy market opportunities in the country.

Check out the recording of the session “Hosted Digital Dialogue on the Role of an Energy Network in Portuguese Speaking Countries” organized by ALER and ADENE on November 13, integrated in the program of the Africa Energy Forum 2020.

EDP, ALER’s Member is preparing to sponsor new clean energy access projects in five African countries, including Angola and Mozambique, through the A2E Fund. The third edition of this financing program has €500,000 and two new target locations.

Cape Verde remains firm on the path towards energy transition, with a view to increase the country's resilience to external shocks, reducing energy dependence, making full use of the potential of existing renewable energies, promoting energy efficiency and electric mobility.

The contribution of renewable energies to the goal of universal access is essential, as it allows the timely installation of medium-scale renewable solar plants in locations close to the load centers and the dispersion of their location to ensure redundancies and ensure greater security of supply.

On October 13, AMER organised a webinar divided into two sessions focused on the topic of Mini-Grids in Mozambique, attended by 199 participants distributed in 29 countries. This webinar is part of the AMER webinar series and the next will be held on December 15.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the RELOP Board of Directors decided to turn the RELOP 2020 Conference into a series of 3 Debates with the theme “Democratization of access to energy: Regulation and citizenship”, in webinar format.

The Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), funded by the UK government’s international climate finance, is to stage a series of virtual networking sessions connecting leading investors with energy developers operating in countries in Africa.

Last October 12th ESI Africa organised a webinar on “Financing for women-led business in the energy sector”. This webinar is under the Women in Energy series that invite thought leaders who are working tirelessly to ease energy poverty, inspire women entrepreneurs, and have ambition and drive to succeed in their career.

Last October 21st, ALER participated in the webinar organised by the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) under the theme: “The key ingredient of the negotiations: understanding the allocation of risks in energy projects”. 

The Angolan Renewable Energy Association (ASAER) has taken another step on its journey towards the promotion of renewable energy in Angola. Now you can have access to the ASAER website to keep track of all the news of the Association.

ALER and ADENE - Portuguese Energy Agency will organize an online session “Hosted Digital Dialogue on the Role of an Energy Network in Portuguese Speaking Countries” to be held on November 13th at 10 a.m. (GMT).

This session is part of the Africa Energy Forum 2020 program, the international reference event which brings together decision makers and investors from Africa's energy, infrastructure and industry sectors, and which this year takes place exclusively online.

On September 10 2020, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Higher Education and Technical Professional organised the Workshop on the implementation of the Mozambican solar thermal roadmap.

UNIDO reinforced its commitment to the promotion and dissemination of integrated renewable energy systems, financing the Community T@blet initiative of KAMALEON.

The Coalition brings together over 100 leading renewable energy players including private sector companies, industry associations, civil society, research institutes and intergovernmental organisations, and ALER is now one of them!

The project “Strengthening Access to Sustainable Energy to Boost Income-Generating Activities in Monte Trigo” is a local and community development initiative aimed at empowering and strengthening the capacities of AGRIPESCA, Monte Trigo Community Development Association through joint implementation strategic activities.

Read more about the last AMER webinar under the theme “Applications of Renewable Energies in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors (C&I)”, and don't miss the next on 13th October about “Mini-Grids in Mozambique”.

On September 30, the long-awaited launch of the Renewable Energy Auctions Program in Mozambique (PROLER) took place. This program was developed by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) with the support of the European Union in the framework of private investment promotion to increase power generation capacity in the country. It consists of structuring projects for public tenders in an auction system to award concessions for power production from renewable energy sources.

The Santomean State, and its Government, welcomes these efforts and opening up of our partners and reiterates its willingness to receive and embrace the different initiatives, and to facilitate the promotion and implementation of a favourable political environment for a national energy sector market whose production is intended to be sustained, at least 50%, by renewable energy sources in the year 2030.

On 17 November at 3 pm (UTC + 1 - Portugal time), ALER in partnership with the Ministry of Public Works, Infrastructure, Natural Resources and the Environment (MOPIRNA) will organize the webinar “Sustainable Energy in São Tomé and Príncipe”.

One of the main challenges in the energy sector in São Tomé and Príncipe was the scarce and little disseminated information on the energy sector. To address this need, MOPIRNA/DGRNE with support from the GEF/UNIDO project, has developed a website which will include an integrated Energy Sector Database and Information System. 

Angola is carrying out several initiatives that make it possible to identify the country as a market with several investment opportunities in renewable energy. This is the case with two new private projects in renewable energy.

ALSF has, for the past ten years, been supporting African governments in negotiating complex commercial transactions with the private sector, in an effort to level the playing field and support governments in securing balanced contracts that will adequately protect their interests, enhance the credibility of the process and minimize the risk of renegotiation.

The Covid-19 global pandemic is having a significant global economic impact. Restrictions on social interaction and mobility are negatively affecting the way companies interact with and serve their customers.

This month ARE and GOGLA with the support from GET.invest organised the Energy Access COVID-19 Relief Summit where were highlited the effects of COVID-19 on companies' operations and their customers' lives.

The objective is to stimulate new sustainable business models which incentivise and accelerate the private sector to offer affordable and clean off-grid energy access at scale in Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mozambique and Zambia. 

ALER was a speaker on the webinar Mini-Grid Market Assessment in Angola Mini-Grid Market Assessment in Angola Webinar which took place on July 23rd. The webinar counted with the participation of key stakeholders for the development of green mini grid in Angola, including public entities, development partners and representatives of the private sector with the purpose of jointly discuss the opportunities and challenges posed to the mini grid market in Angola.

AMER (Mozambican Association of Renewable Energies) joined ALER on the LERenováveis Mozambique platform, that join together the most relevant publications of the energy sector in Mozambique.

SOLshare, partner company of EDP, ALER’s Member, won this year the Ashden Award for Financial Innovation for Energy Access. 

On the 17th of July, the 24th anniversary of the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries) was celebrated in a small ceremony with the representatives of the various countries.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we all had to adapt to new conditions and new realities of work and living. Faced with the impossibility of holding face-to-face events, new technologies help to carry out online seminars and webinars.

JUMEME, a mini-grid operator in Tanzania co-funded by the European Commission and partialy held by ALER's Member RP Global, has launched a “COVID-19 Relief Program” to support the Tanzanian government and local populations in their effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. 

EDP will sponsor eight sustainable and renewable energy projects in five African countries through the A2E (Access to Energy) Fund. Totalling half a million euros, the financing aims to promote access to clean energy in particularly remote and underprivileged areas and to help tackle energy poverty in that region.

In an Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers on June 17th, EDM elected Marcelino Gildo Alberto as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. Engineer by profession, Marcelino Gildo Alberto, who had been acting as PCA Advisor, replaces Eng. Aly Sicola Impija, who was dismissed at the same session of the Council of Ministers.

Growth in renewable power has been impressive over the past five years. But too little is happening in heating, cooling and transport. Overall, global hunger for energy keeps increasing and eats up progress, according to REN21’s Renewables 2020 Global Status Report (GSR). 

Accordingly with the new IRENA (Renewable Energy Agency) report renewable power is increasingly cheaper than any new electricity capacity based on fossil fuels. Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2019 shows that more than half of the renewable capacity added in 2019 achieved lower power costs than the cheapest new coal plants.

Several entities around the world are trying to understand how Covid-19 pandemic came not only to affect the Sustainable Energy Sector but also how Sustainable Energy can help to overcome this moment.

AMER (Mozambican Renewable Energy Association), ALER's partners, prepared a petition sent to MIREME, on the 5th of May, requesting the definition of energy supply services as essential services and will organize a webinar about the same topic on 14th of July at 13:30 (GMT + 1).

In its ten years of operation, ECREEE has developed several activities aimed at promoting renewable energy in all ECOWAS countries.All of these measures are aimed at increasing the rate of electrification of our communities and the greatest energy security of the countries, using renewable energies to facilitate this development that has to be sustainable.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit renewable energy companies worldwide and its effects put at risk what the community has ardently worked for in the past years: affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Recent sector surveys paint a picture of challenges ranging from a decrease in revenue, shortage of working capital, HR concerns and supply chain disruption, to uncertainty about credit risk management.

Within five years, the São Tomé and Príncipe electricity grid should become more stable, thanks in part to the AfDB contribution who finances the Energy Transition and Institutional Support Programme (ETISP) launched in January 2020 in the country, as well as the Economic Reform and Power Sector Support Program – Phase I (ERPSSP-I).

FUNAE has issued a request for expressions of interest to seek consultants to draft feasibility studies and project outlines for 11 solar mini-grids. The projects are part of the government’s efforts to use the financing received from the World Bank under the Energy for All (Proenergia) project.

Clean energy can provide affordable solutions that are in line with climate targets and can help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on people’s livelihoods and local economies. 

In March this year the Green Mini-Grids (GMGs) Africa Regional Facility programme officially closed, marking 5 years of DFID support to the development of the sector in Africa. That support is continuing seamlessly, into a second phase, now as part of the wider Africa Clean Energy (ACE) programme.

EDPR, Member of ALER, has established several donation programs, together with their partners SolarWorks! and Rensource.As a result, a proposal for equipment donation was drawn up in accordance with the identified needs and local availability of the materials.

UNIDO, partners of ALER, with funding from the GEF, has been working in partnership with the country’s Ministry of Public Works, Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Environment (MOPIRNA) to help the small island country to implement a project to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in the electricity sector.

The Covid-19 Relief Response is coordinated by the Energy Access Action Network, a coalition of leading companies, investors, industry associations, and sector support providers from across the off-grid sector. The Network is developing important early interventions to support the industry through the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In order to increase our value offer, ALER presents the new exclusive service for ALER Members and sponsors: the publicationn of Market Sheets. These market sheets aim to provide a brief overview of the renewable energy sector in the PALOP countries and list the main existing or planned programs and projects.

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched two new reports, “Renewable Capacity Statistics 2020” on renewables growth until now and “Global Renewables Outlook: Energy transformation 2050” that shows the path to create a sustainable future energy system.

The African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) have agreed to work closely to advance renewable energy across the continent to bolster Africa’s response to Covid-19, through innovative solutions to drive the development of renewable energy including decentralised systems, and to increase access to energy across the continent. 

According to Power for All the sector's response to COVID-19 falls into two main categories: 1) ensuring that companies and consumers emerge intact from the crisis, and 2) embedding DRE solutions, both immediately and longer term, into the nexus between SDG #7 and #3. 

ARE launched a Roadmap with recommendations for governments, funders and philanthropies to act decisively, to do their part and to make sure that this historic opportunity is grasped, ALER joint this initiative as a supporting partner.

UNIDO supports DGRNE to develop a holistic sustainable energy vision through a National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) and a National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP). 

The Covid-19 window will provide project and business developers with fast-tracked access to the Finance Catalyst advisory team to help adapt operations to the effects of the crisis

Covered by the programme for the Exploration of Renewable Energy Sources (Prover) of Guinea-Bissau, the construction of the Gardete plant, where the power produced will be injected into the national grid, includes 30 kilo-volt transmission lines and the Bor sub-station. 

UNIDO and the Ministry of Public Works, Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Environment are implementing the project “Strategic program to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in the electricity sector of São Tomé and Príncipe". 

The scale of the response raises to the coronavirus another question: What would it look like if the world responded to the climate crisis with a similar sense of urgency? 

The Project “Access to sustainable energy for the management of water resources: energy-water nexus” was presented on March 4th, in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The ALER General Assembly took place on March 31st, with the participation of our Members exclusively online, due to the developments of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Recently, the Angolan Renewable Energy Association (ASAER) was created, a non-profit association with the mission of promoting renewable energy in Angola.

The Project “Strengthening Access to Sustainable Energy to boost income generating activities” is a community development initiative that aims to improve access to energy resources as a vehicle for taking advantage of development opportunities, namely income generating activities and fostering entrepreneurship in Monte Trigo, Cape Verde. 

ARE, ALER’s partners, in cooperation with GIZ, has launched its new paper, as part of its position paper series: Off-Grid Renewable Energies to achieve SDG-7 and SDG-13: Cheaper, Cleaner and Smarter.

Energy is an essential component of life, it is necessary in all our activities and it is at the heart of sustainable development (it meets the needs of current generations in a way that does not compromise the ability to meet the needs of future generations and it consciously manages resources in a way that prevents them from being depleted), since it affects significantly.

Maria da Conceição Mendes Raposo, Chairman of the Board of Directors at (AGER) of São Tomé and Principe answered some questions on the topic, read the full interview.

Ana Monteiro, UNIDO’s Sustainable Energy Program Coordinator in Cabo Verde answered some questions on the topic, read the full interview. 

As organisers of the Renewables in Mozambique 2020 conference, we have been closely following the global developments of covid-19. Therefore, together with our partners, we made the decision to postpone the Renewables in Mozambique 2020 conference to a later date in the year.

The next phase of GET.FiT Mozambique programme, funded by German Development Bank, expected to last approximately six months, consists of the tender for selection and hiring of the implementation consultant, which will provide technical assistance to MIREME, ARENE and EDM in the implementation of the GET FiT Mozambique programme. The beginning of activities of the GET FiT Mozambique programme is planned for the third quarter of 2020.

Leading off-grid solar energy companies, governments, development partners, and investors attended Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo (GOGSFE) and agreed to further grow the off-grid solar market. The renewed commitment will accelerate progress towards universal access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy by 2030.

A new body of research by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and its key partners argues that national governments are uniquely positioned to target populations most in need of energy services and provide safety nets for those living in energy poverty.  

On the even of the international women’s day, the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) has launched the study “Women for Sustainable Energy: Strategies to Foster Women’s Talent for Transformational Change.” This study was commissioned to answer the question ‘What can we do to increase women’s employment in the sustainable energy sector?’ 

Ignite Moçambique is a partnership between Ignite Power and Source Capital, ALER’s Member, that was established with the purpose of deploying solar home systems (“SHS”) in rural Mozambique.

TESE, ALER’s Members, was invited to participate on the First European Forum of Engineers Without Borders, a 2-day event that will take place on 8-9 May 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.

Sustainable Energy for ALL (SEforALL), one of ALER’s partners, and the Government of Rwanda are pleased to announce that registration for the 2020 SEforALL Forum in Kigali, Rwanda from 26-28 May is now open.

The Cape Verdean government expects private companies to move forward until May with the construction of two solar power plants, on the islands of Sal and São Vicente, with a total electricity production capacity of 10 MegaWatts (MW).

According to IRENA the share of renewables in global power should more than double by 2030 to advance the global energy transformation, achieve sustainable development goals and create a clear pathway to climate safety. 

The 3rd International Conference on Solar Technologies and Hybrid Mini-Grids to improve energy access, will take place at the Universitat de les Illes Balears in Palma, Spain on April 1-3, 2020.

On February 12, 2020 the Market Development Fund of BRILHO Program will be launched in Maputo, Mozambique.

The report highlights cooperation with REN21 growing international network, breaks down funding and gives a sneak peek to 2020.

ALER's General Assembly was held last January 27 at the headquarters of the Association in Lisbon. This meeting was attended by 17 members on site and 6 members remotely via teleconference, corresponding to 69% of the votes.

Get to know the news membership categories and the sponsorship manual and read more about the advantages of being our Member.

The Lusophone Association of Renewable Energies (ALER) and the Mozambican Renewable Energy Association (AMER) will organise a Conference in Maputo, Mozambique from 23 to 25 March 2020, with the financial support of our partners GET.invest, Energising Development and the Green Peoples’ Energy programmes.

Get to know the highlights of COP 25 that took place from 2 to 13 of December in Madrid with the purpose of finalising the "rulebook" of the Paris Agreement.

From 7th to 9th of  November, Clean Cooking Alliance and the Kenya Ministry of Energy hosted the Clean Cooking Forum with the theme of “Investment, Innovation, and Impact”. The Forum brought together over 550 people from 50 countries.

An agreement has recently been signed between Africa50, the African Development Bank (AfDB) Investment Fund and Power Africa, a US government-led initiative for access to electricity in Africa. The purpose of this agreement is to attract investment in power generation in Africa.

Last IRENA report in cooperation with UNHCR examines the energy needs at refugee camps and identifies renewables-based solutions for four sites in Iraq and Ethiopia. 

This planning tool is the result of pre-feasibility studies carried out by FUNAE technicians at each site, including specialized studies carried out by independent professional entities and serves as a basis for potential investors to deepen feasibility studies for the development of generation and distribution projects, as well as operation and maintenance of solar and water mini-grids.

Our newest Member is Soapro, an Angolan group with 30 years of experience in the fields of architecture, engineering, urbanism, oil & gas, energy, water, environment and real estate appraisal, operating in the areas of studies and projects, consulting and auditing, management and supervision of works.

Neoen and it's partner EDM lanched construcion of Central Solar Metoro that will be built by Efacec.

It took place last 28thof November at Museu do Oriente in Lisbon, the Annual Conference of APREN, ALER’s Member, Portugal Renewable Summit 2019 under the subject “From Transition to Energy Commitment” and was attended by more than 450 participants.

The UN policy compilation report Accelerating SDG-7 Achievement highlights the centres of the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC) as "success story" and an important contribution to accelerate the uptake of integrated and inclusive sustainable energy technology markets.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Damilola Ogunbiyi of Nigeria as his Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of United Nations-Energy. The Secretary-General also welcomes the announcement by the Administrative Board of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) that Ms. Ogunbiyi has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SEforALL.

The AfDB has approved the conversion of the SEFA Fund which it administers into a “special fund”, to amplify its development impact by allowing it to access a wider range of financial instruments.

Eni and the Government of Angola have signed the Concession Agreement for a 50 MWp photovoltaic plant in the province of Namibe, where Eni supports rural development projects. 

ALER is delighted to welcome our 5 new Members: MCA Grupo, CESL Asia, Linklaters, Enerfín e Tamega Energy.

The granting of this status is a recognition of ALER's work in development aid and we hope it will contribute to strengthening our work to promote renewable energies in the PALOP and can bring benefits to both ALER and its Associates.

ALER was present in several events this month, Africa Investment Exchange (AIX), Multilateral Day, in the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of São Tomé and Príncipe and APREN Conference.

ALER attended the launch of the Renewable Energy Project Preparation Facility of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Mozambique, as part of PROMOVE ENERGIA Programme. 

Last year, Cape Verde reduced thermal production by 3% and global production of solar and wind, renewable energy, increased by 20%. The country currently has an installed capacity of 34MW and the contract for the installation of 10 MW Solar has already been signed and the procurement for another 15MW (10MW wind and 5 MW Solar) are already in advanced phase and are expected to enter in operation between 2020 and 2022.

The Mozambique GET FiT programme will promote investments in photovoltaic systems including battery storage (Solar PV + Storage) of up to a total of 32 MW, on the first out of three planned reverse auction rounds.

The Wind SADC was launched, the Regional Wind Association for the Southern African region with the mission of helping countries and companies benefit from this renewable, economically attractive energy source that has grown rapidly in South Africa.

The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa is a planned extension of the Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia, which was launched in 2016 and which has helped four companies bring access to clean, affordable off-grid energy to nearly 750,000 people to date.

A few but well-known brands in the African off-grid industry’s went bankrupt which has raised questions on the long-term viability of current off-grid business models. ARE stepped up to demystify that idea and presented an article with a number of key recommendations on how to move forward and turbocharge the off-grid sector.

During the trade mission to Cape Verde, INEGI and CERMI signed a protocol that establishes three areas of collaboration: specialized training for technical staff, resource mobilization for research projects, and joint consultancy projects in the ECOWAS countries.

EDP - Energias de Portugal, ALER’s Members, launched this month the second edition of the A2E Fund (Access to Energy), a fund that will guarantee 500,000 Euros of support to projects for access to renewable energy in the following countries: Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania.

ALER Open Day is an exclusive sharing forum to disclose inside information, contacts and foster discussion among participants about the current status of renewable energies in the PALOP.

The European Union has supported Mozambique since its independence in 1975, seeking to boost inclusive and sustainable growth in the country. One area of cooperation that is gaining in importance is promoting the use of energy from renewable sources to give people greater access to energy services and limit greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Executive Director of ALER was in Luanda from October 22 to 25 to participate in the conference of RELOP, establish new partnerships and prepare the activities that the Association will develop in the country, which will be announced soon.

Like ALER had already announced with the dissemination of the public consultation for the model PPA for renewable energy projects in Angola, the revision and creation of sector regulations in underway, as well as the adoption of related legislation.

ALER will go in a mission to Cape Verde will be held, organized by DGEG - Directorate General of Energy and Geology in 14-17 of October 2019, to Cidade da Praia, Ilha de Santiago.

ALER is very glad to continue the partnership with GET.invest. Signing the new contract is the reinforcement of GET.invest's trust on the work developed by ALER during the 3 years of project.

ALER is delighted to welcome the latest Members: Mota-Engil África, Helianthus, Ernst & Young and Procesl.

September was marked by the entry of two new players in the Mozambican renewable energy market.

With a 20,3% penetration of renewable energy in 2018, Cape Verde has implemented multiple initiatives to achieve the target established by the Government of more 50% of renewable until 2030.

The world has been making undeniable progress toward universal energy access by 2030, a target laid out by the United Nations in its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7.

UN Climate Action Summit 2019 took place in the past 23 of September in New York, USA. The target of the summit was to advance climate action for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the mean global temperature from rising by more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. 70 countries were expected to announce steps to reduce emissions and support populations most vulnerable to the climate crisis.

Ten years on from the last tender for the allocation of power injection capacity in the Public Service Power Grid for wind power plants launched in 2008, it is now the time for the photovoltaic solar power to shine, taking advantage of the moment the sector is going through towards decarbonisation and energy transition, with well-defined objectives and targets by 2030. 

EDM has been seriously investing in the promotion and development of renewable technologies as a future and secure alternative for electricity production and a clean source for the diversification of the national energy mix to achieve universal access to electricity for all Mozambicans in 2030

More than 360 government representatives from 116 countries had gathered in Abu Dhabi to attend the 17thCouncil of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

In July, Cape Verde, Angola and Guinea Bissau joint the Lusophone Compact, an MoU signed by Portugal and AfDB in November 2018, with the aim to foster the development of the private sector in the African Portuguese Speaking Countries (PALOP) in several areas, including renewable energies.

In July took place  in Maputo, green mini-grids training workshop: data collection and productive use in mini-grid development. Also were launch  funding initiatives for Mozambique aimed to support the private sector, namely  BRILHO Program, Energy Africa Mozambique and the Fund for sustainable access to renewables (FASER).

From 18thto 20thof June SEforALL Charrettes happened in Amsterdam, with the purpose of generate new ideas for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7 ) for access to clean, affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all by 2030.

ALER is partner of the 3rdInternational Conference on Solar Technologies and Hybrid Mini-Grids that will be held at Universitat de les Illes Baleares, in Palma, Spain, from 1-3 April 2020, and it’s organized by EnDev, KIT, GIZ, REPIC, Siemens Stiftung, SNV e WISE.

ALER is delighted to welcome the latest Members: Saigrene, Source Energia, Resul Angola, FRES e LNEG.

We are very pleased to announced that AMER website was launched! The website has been developed and launched in close cooperation with ALER and GET.invest’s predecessor RECP.

During the last month open for sponsorships, ALER is launching a 50% discount campaign! We invite all interested parties to be sponsors of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Situation Report in Sao Tome and Principe and take advantage of its widespread distribution to increase your visibility in the international renewable energy sector.

The Government of Portugal has launched a tender for 1,400 MW of injection capacity in the Public Service Electricity Network for solar power plants, through an electronic auction system

Renewables now supply more than a quarter (26%) of global electricity production but current trends in the sector show that bolder policy decisions are needed across all end-use sectors to make our energy systems sustainable.

Renewable power is the cheapest source of electricity in many parts of the world and eleven million people were employed in renewable energy worldwide in 2018.

As a result of a competitive bidding process, the consortia COBA Consultores de Engenharia e Ambiente/Artelia Eau & Environment (Portugal) was awarded with a 1,5 million Euro contract to develop a bankable feasibility study and a detailed engineering and design study on the Saltinho Run-Off-River Hydropower Project with an estimated capacity of 20 MW. 

ALER was invited to participate as a speaker at two events this month, the Africa Energy Forum (aef 2019) and the 1st International Renewable Energy Forum.

During aef 2019 ALER organised its Advisory Board Meeting and an Informative Session about the Facility for Energy Inclusion: the new platform for financing small-scale renewables in Africa

ALER is supporting organization of  REN Power Angola, the 2ndRenewable Energy & Power Infrastructure Investors Conference. It will take place on 18 July at Hotel de Convenções de Talatona, Luanda, Angola.

A Model of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for Renewable Energies was developed, adapting the best international practices to angolan legislation.

IRSEA as a Regulatory Body has actively participated in this national determination with the development of a Regulatory Framework, which is based on the approval of the Amendment Law of the General Electricity Law by Law no. 27/2015, of December 14, and the development of regulations, updating existing regulations and creating new ones.

Power for All, partner of ALER, has published new documents about the importance of energy in rural population’s lives.

In April 2019, a mission from KfW undertook the appraisal of the "GET FiT Mozambique Program” with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME).

The Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centers (GN-SEC) has launched the "One for All" virtual library that brings together the most up-to-date documents and information on the sustainable energy market.

As part of the aef 2019 that will be held in Lisbon next June, we share here the interview with João Marques, Executive Director of EDP.

As part of the aef2019 that will be held in Lisbon next June, we share here the interview with João Galamba, Secretary of State for Energy. 

ROSSETI is our the new member of ALER.

The Lusophone Compact Information Session and other financing instruments were held on 27 May at the AICEP facilities and was organized by ALER with the support of AICEP, GPEARI and SOFID.

The ALER General Assembly was held on 27 May at AICEP facilities in Lisbon. At this General Meeting, the Report and Accounts of 2018 were approved, with an abstention, and the Plan of Activities for 2019 was unanimously approved.

The mission of AIPEX - Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency is to promote and attract private investment, to promote exports and contribute to the internationalization of Angolan companies, to record private investment proposals and facilitate the implementation of projects by providing institutional support to investors.

During the months of June and July 2019, ALER is offering a promotional campaign for new Members.

Cheaper solar, storage and appliances, combined with increased connectivity and mobile money, have driven a radical transformation in the economics of delivering energy to remote rural customers.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published the “Renewable Capacity Statistics 2019” which presents the renewable power generation capacity statistics for the last decade (2009 - 2018) in trilingual (English, French, Spanish) tables.

According to the new analysis by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds that scaling-up renewable energy combined with electrification could deliver more than three quarters of the energy related emission reductions needed to meet global climate goals.

The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation NEFCO and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) have signed an agreement to cooperate on expanding off-grid electricity solutions in sub-Saharan African countries. 

On May 27 at 4:00 p.m., ALER will organize the "Lusophone Compact and other financing instruments for renewable energy projects in PALOP", which will be held at the AICEP facilities. 

ALER was invited to participate in two events this month, with Isabel Cancela de Abreu, ALER’s  Executive Director, in representation as a speaker.

aef 2019 will be attended on 11st to 14th June at Lisbon and 4 PALOPs ministers are already confirmed.

Antão Fortes, CEO of Cabeólica, ALER members, stated that 2018 proved to be the best in the company's history of power generation for Cape Verde’s power grids.

SOFID was created in 2007 with the mission to contribute to  the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the economic growth of emerging and developing countries, articulating with the objectives and strategy of the Portuguese State in terms of economy, cooperation and assistance.

As one of the countries within the scope of ALER’s work, we are excited to follow  the most recent developments about renewable energies  in Angola.

With financial backing from the Green Climate Fun (GCF), the West-African Development Bank (BOAD) had approved a €100 million loan to finance renewable energy development in countries from UEMOA.

African Development Bank (AfDB) and the governments of Mozambique and Portugal have signed a Mozambique-specific Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the Lusophone Compact.

Portugal received the 2018 Renewable Energy Trophy, a prize awarded by the Union of Renewable Energies, a French association that brings together associations and companies in this sector worldwide. 

We are delighted to announce that ALER Executive Director Isabel Cancela de Abreu is confirmed as a speaker at the panel "Portugal’s Partnership with Lusophone Africa", of the AEF 2019.

Monte Trigo is the first village in Cape Verde with 100% renewable energy with the operation of the micro-grid and solar power plant, implemented by Águas de Ponta Preta (APP), ALER’s Member.

EDP Renováveis, part of the EDP Group and member of ALER, is demonstrating its commitment to support and finance sustainable, clean energy and energy access projects.

It is with aim of renewing the energy in Mozambique, that we are proud to announce that the Associação Moçambicana de Energias Renováveis – a non-for-profit organization with the mission to promote renewable energy in Mozambique, officially created in 2017, is now fully registered and operational. 

The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), partner of ALER, in partnership with the African Development Bank and GET.invest programme, organized the 5th ARE Energy Access Investment Forum that brought together more than 260 participants to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on March 13and 14, 2019.

BAD has approved a capital investment of $ 25 million in the ARCH Africa Renewable Power Fund (ARPF). This private equity fund has a total value of $ 250 million to apply for Renewable Energy projects in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

The Climate Investment Fund has approved a $ 500 million credit line to finance projects for the implementation and development of renewable energy sources.

PFAN is a global network of climate and clean energy financing experts that aims to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and private sector investors. There are many projects in this area that are economically viable, but what happens in low-income countries is that there is no funding to make them move forward.

Nearly 3,000 stakeholders and investors are expected to attend the 21st Africa Energy Forum in Lisbon between 11 to 14 of June. The Forum returns to Europe for its 21st year following its 20th anniversary on Mauritius, providing a platform for important energy projects to be reviewed and showcased in front of international investors.

MIREME and IGNITE Mozambique signed an agreement that aims to bring energy to 1.8 million people living in remote areas of the country within the next three years. The plan is to install individual solar energy systems in 300,000 homes in all provinces of the country.

The Republic of Guinea-Bissau requested and obtained funds from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) to finance the construction of a 20 MW photovoltaic power plant near Bissau and two 1 MW mini-plants in Gabu and Cachungo.

ALER was present at the Financing Investment in Africa event which took place on February 27 in Centro Cultural de Belém, in Lisbon, organized by CIP with the support of EIB and SOFID with the objective of presenting the EIB financing instruments for the ACP region.

The Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Program (RECP) has been successfully working with its partners in advancing the development of markets for renewable energy in Africa. ALER was one of the partners in the last 3 years, working in the promotion of renewable energy markets in Portuguese-speaking countries.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced that it will triple support to Cape Verde. The announcement was made at the International Donors Conference and Investment Forum, on the theme "Creating new partnerships for sustainable development in Cape Verde".

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) will propose the creation of a bank exclusively to finance energy access, said it  ISA director Upendra Tripathy.

The Energy and Environment Partnership Trust Fund (EEP Africa) recently published a report “Opportunities and Challenges in the Mini-grid Sector in Africa”, explaining that infrastructure financing and regulatory environments are the main ‘make-or-break’ contributors to mini-grid bankability.

French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement – AFD) is developing its energy transition strategy and is currently holding an online consultation process so that everyone can contribute to its definition.

EFACEC is a Portuguese company with a strong exporter profile and international presence in more than 65 countries. 

ALER is collaborating with the European Joint Programme (EJP) for European-African cooperation in R & I in renewable energy.

ALER is collaborating with the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIP) in the dissemination of the Trade Mission to Angola, which will take place from March 25-29, 2019.

Dear readers,

When ECOWAS made the decision to establish the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in Cabo Verde, the rationale was clear: a pipeline of bankable Renewable Energy projects, ongoing legislation, tremendous Renewable Energy potential – notably for wind and solar – and, more important than all, a strong political will. Cabo Verde was set to become a reference point for clean energy in West Africa, and after 9 years of ECREEE’s establishment in the country, the success of the strategy is undeniable.

Portugal will host the next Africa Energy Forum from 11 to 14 June 2019 in Lisbon and ALER is once again partner of this high-level event.

The Government of Mozambique signed an agreement with the french company NEOEN, a member of ALER, to build a solar power plant in the north of the country.

The RISE (Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy) is a report that presents a set of regulatory indicators to help compare national policies and regulatory frameworks in the Energy sector. 

Isabel Cancela de Abreu, Executive Director of ALER, was present at the Public Presentation on "Investments for Development: the role of SOFID", which took place on December 13 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Efficiency for Access (EforA) Coalition and Acumen launch Investor Network to target capital for productive uses of energy and reduce existing barriers so investors can identify where the off-grid market for electrical equipment needs support.

The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) was held from 2 to 14 December in Katowice, Poland, and the main themes discussed were technology, human and nature.

, looking at Guinea-Bissau is a constant challenge, which tests and reveals the capacity for response, commitment, strength and determination of each one. I am referring in particular to the risk and entrepreneurial spirit of the entrepreneur when approaching a new market which, perhaps due to different circumstances, may not be in the immediate horizon of his investment or internationalization objectives.

The field-trips to Bambadinca and Contuboel operating mini-grids, in Bafatá region, successfully took place on December 5. Included in the Guinea Bissau Sustainable Energy International Conference, counted with 67 participants.

During the Africa Investiment Forum it was signed the "Development Finance Compact for the African Lusophone Countries" that aims to accelerate inclusive, sustainable and diversified growth of the private sector in the PALOP countries.

The Conference on Renewable Energies, was organized by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Energy of Cape Verde in order to promote knowledge-sharing about the mechanisms and efforts to address the climate finance gap, and to present the conclusions from the implementation of projects in the community of the Small Island States.

On the theme “Achieving Sustainable Energy Targets in the ECOWAS Region”, ESEF 2018 was designed to foster concrete progress in the implementation of the ECOWAS region’s ambitious sustainable energy targets. 

On November 12, the National Electrification Strategy (ENE) was launched under the National Energy for All Program until 2030 by the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Jacinto Nyusi.

It aims to gather all the stakeholders interested in the power sector in Africa and promote the relations within the private sector and between public and private. 

We are heading towards the „Guinea Bissau Sustainable Energy International Conference” from 6 to 7 December 2018 in Bissau. Key policy makers, entrepreneurs and financiers will draw-up concrete avenues how to mobilise 700 million USD for making universal access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy services a reality for Guinea Bissau by 2030.

In Guinea-Bissau only 2.6% of the population has access to constant electricity and a mere 5.7% has access to electricity at irregular intervals. Reliable access to electricity is a basic precondition for improving people’s lives, helps enhance healthcare and education, and enables local economy growth.

Energy and in particular electricity continues to play a crucial role in linking economic development and reducing inequality. Therefore, EDP pursues the clear goal of putting energy at the service of more sustainable ways of life and has been investing heavily in renewable energies, efficiency and innovation.

GETFiT Mozambique organised a stakeholder workshop with about 100 participants, including the Vice-Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), thus demonstrating the strong commitment of the Government.

This revision arose from the need to adapt the Law to the current times, in order to position itself in an attractive way for new investments in the sector.

The objective of the survey is to gather quantitative and qualitative insights on the current status of women’s participation in the renewable energy sector, existing challenges and potential solutions to improve gender diversity.

This event is organized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Energy of Cape Verde and launched within the scope of our Renewable Energy Sector Support Program, financed by the Luxembourg Development Cooperation.

ALER’s Vice-President, Mr. Guilherme Collares Pereira was invited to participate in the panel discussion on “Regional Sustainable Energy Entrepreneurship” where he presented ALER’s vision and experience.

It was attended by some of the leading specialists in renewable energy at national and international level and, for the first time, the afternoon panel was dedicated to the debate between representatives of the main parties with parliamentary seats. The event was also attended by the Minister of the Economy, Manuel Caldeira Cabral, and the Minister of the Environment, João Pedro Matos Fernandes.

The main objective was to provide an opportunity for an exchange between practitioners from industry, academia and development institutions working in the field of decentralizes energy. The conference covered technical, business and management aspects of solar technologies and mini grids with the aim of sharing experiences, learning from each other and networking.

Guinea Bissau has seen some progress in building its energy infrastructure. However, vast areas of Guinea Bissau remain literally in the dark. The acceleration of the mini-grid implementation could play an important role in meeting the continent's growing energy needs.

The SEFA, managed by AfDB, has approved US$1 million grant to Independent Power Producers (IPP) in Angola to encourage private investment in renewable energy.

Recently, many initiatives have been launched aiming to facilitate the access to investment for renewable energies in Mozambique. Here we present you an overview of the most significant initiatives.

Electra intends to reduce losses, increase reliability and reduce the time of unavailability of power in the network with the help of the new laboratories of benchmarking and testing of electrical network equipment in São Vicente and Praia.

The purpose of the meeting was to list potential instruments to be used and partnerships to be implemented under this initiative, in particular the survey of investment opportunities and constraints that exists in the PALOP.

RVE.SOL, a member of ALER, has closed a 2.5 million euro investment that will enable to bring electricity and drinking water to 15,000 people, creating more than 20 direct jobs in Kenya.

ECOWAS has taken a pioneering role in the promotion of sustainable energy services through a regional approach - resulting in the creation of the ECREEE.  

The sixth session of HLPF 2018, took place at UN Headquarters in New York under the UN Economic and Social Council, between July 16 to 18, and the main theme was "Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies".

On July 11,  the Deputy Minister of Land, Environment and Rural Development, Celmira da Silva, officialised the launch of the BCI Environmental Credit Line.

The International Renewable Energy Conference will be held on 22nd and 23rd November 2018 in Cabo Verde, Santiago Island.

ALER organized a 2nd Edition of the ALER Open Day on July 4th at the Association's headquarters in Lisbon.

Two years ago, at a World Bank meeting in Kenya, mini-grid companies (or decentralized utilities as we call them) and donors jointly concluded that one of the major barriers to scaling finance for mini-grids is the lack of reliable benchmark information exists about costs, system and business performance, and finance needs in the mini-grid space. 

The XII CPLP Summit took place on 17-18 July in Cape Verde where was granted the category of Consultative Observer to ALER and other 7 entities.

Organized by Trama Tecno Ambiental (TTA), in partnership with EnDev, GIZ, REPIC, the Siemens Foundation, SNV and WISE, the second International Conference on Solar Technologies and Hybrid Mini-Grids to improve access to energy, will be held at Universitat de les Illes Balears, in Palma, Spain, from 17 to 19 October 2018.

Energy plays an important role in the development of any nation. In São Tomé and Príncipe in particular the energy limitations have represented several barriers to socio-economic development. For this reason, the solution for the energy deficit and security problems are one of the main priorities of the XVI Constitutional Government.

On June 4, REN21, of which ALER is a member, published its Renewables 2018 Global Status Report (GSR), the most comprehensive annual overview of the state of renewable energy worldwide. 

Akinwumi Adesina, was in São Tomé and Príncipe for a five-day official visit, the first of a President of the African Development Bank group to the country, where he announced that his institution will provide 21 million dollars (approximately 18 million euros).

Energypedia, partner of ALER, launched this month the Solar Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) Toolbox. This Toolbox was developed by the GIZ in collaboration with the FAO, under the global initiative Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development.

Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe agreed to have annual meetings between the two heads of Government in order to evaluate bilateral cooperation.

The training program on renewable energies and power grid management promoted by REN for EDM, MIREME, ARENE and FUNAE is now concluded.

Ecovisão, ALER’s Member and part of Elevo Group, was awarded two “National Energy Globe Awards 2018” to their “Waste Roadmap in Cape Verde” and “Bioenergy in São Tomé and Príncipe” projects.

Trama TecnoAmbiental (TTA) is the most recent Member of ALER.

Since the last decade, EDP has been engaged in promoting universal access to sustainable energy. We have now decided to reinforce this commitment with an investment of 12 million euros over the next three years and by applying more than one million euros in social responsibility activities. With this investment, we hope to impact 200 thousand people, mainly in developing countries.

ALER is looking for a Communications and Events Assistant to join the Association under a portuguese internship programme

MINEA has invited representatives from the World Bank to present the ‘Scaling Solar’ program, a scheme to unlock private investment in on-grid PV solar projects in Africa in a two year period.

Energypedia, partner of ALER, launched the Energy Access portal on energypedia in collaboration with the World Access to Modern Energy (WAME) Project,. 

ALER was present at the SEforALL Forum that hapenned in Lisbon between the 2nd and 3rd of May, during which the signing ceremony of the partnership agreement between ALER and SEforALL took place.

ALER organized its Advisory Board meeting on May 3 on the SEforALL Forum site at Convento do Beato in Lisbon. There were 22 participants, both members of the Advisory Board and guests, representing the Governments of the Portuguese-speaking countries, companies members of ALER and international multilateral institutions, consultants, centers and networks relevant to the renewable energy sector.

The Forum for Energies and Sustainable Development of Mozambique (FEDESMO) trough LIVANINGO, KULIMA and ADEL-SOFALA, organized a reflection workshop about investments in small scale clean and renewable energy systems, that took place on May 10, in Maputo, Mozambique.

East African Community (EAC) member states are planning to phase out all import duties on solar panels in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

APREN, member of ALER, announced that during March 2018, renewable electricity production exceeded the consumption in mainland Portugal.

Guinea-Bissau is dedicated to make a prosperous country, to provide clean energy to its population and achieve sustainable development in support of the activities that can leverage the country. 

The African Development Bank is coordinating the implementation of an integrated development strategy for Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa to help unlock economic growth.

Already on the 4th of May, between 2 and 6 pm, the Guinea Bissau Sustainable Energy Investment Workshop will take place at EDP Headquarters, in Lisbon.

May is full of events for the renewable energy private sector in Mozambique.

IEA launched an online portal to centralize all data and scenario projects it produces in support of the SDG 7.

On April 6th, the International Health Day was celebrated worldwide; it was a good opportunity to stop and think about all the interlinkages between energy and health.

RVE.SOL, member of ALER, has recently signed an agreement to supply solar energy in mini-grids in Kenya. Morever its Founder and Managing Diector, Vivian Vendeirinho, was elected the new President of ARE (Alliance for Rural Electrification).

On February 23, the UN has concluded a Global Conference meant to inform the review, during the July 2018 meeting of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF), of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7 - affordable and clean energy).

Dear readers,

On March 8, the  International Women’s Day was celebrated worldwide. ALER could not fail to mention in our newsletter as women play a key role in energy access and without them it will be impossible to achieve SDG 7. Not to mention that ALER’s President and the two ALER staff members are women.

The first mandate of ALER’s Governing Structure has ended, and ALER’s members, gethered on March 14th have elected a new Board of Directors, Supervisory Board and the Board of the General Assembly Meeting. In addition, the 2017 Annual Report and Accounts and the 2018 Action Plan and Budget were approved.

This year the annual meeting of the SEforALL initiative will take place in the Portuguese capital between May 2 and 3, under the motto "Leaving No One Behind ". Come meet with governments, companies, financiers and civil society to discuss and promote new dynamics to reach faster and easier SDG 7.

Power for All campaign, partner of ALER, has recently presented a research summary showing that only 10% of electricity subsidies in Sub-Saharan Africa flow to households with the lowest income. 

The first International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit took place in New Deli, on March 11 with the presence of 50 countries, including 11 African Presidents and several African prime ministers.

The off-grid industry has appeared as the perfect solution for providing power supply especially for remote and poor people. However, there are evidences that today in reality it cannot reach this target group.

ECREEE has announced the launch of the Regional Certification Scheme (RCS), an initiative to increase sustainable energy skills to improve quality of solar PV Installations and to accelerate the deployment of solar PV in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Among the most transformative events of the current decade has been the dramatic, and sustained, improvement in the competitiveness of renewable power generation technologies. 

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has recently launch the Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2017, a report that demonstrates renewable energy has emerged as an increasingly competitive way to meet new power generation needs.

The African Union - European Union Energy Partnership (AEEP) marked last year a decade of successful cooperation and significant achievements in the energy sector between Africa and Europe.

Águas de Ponta Preta (APP) has recently started the construction of the project “1.316 kWp (1.235 kWn) solar photovoltaic power plant”. 

 
The Portuguese Renewable Energy Association (APREN), Member of ALER, prepared an overview of the Portuguese renewable energy sector in 2017 and announced the opening of applications for the 2018 APREN Award

See more Cabeólica news in their recent newsletter available here (PT only).

During the month of February I had the pleasure to visit Guinea Bissau to carry out ALER’s field trip to the country which will be, along with São Tomé and Principe, one of our priority countries for the year 2018.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB), the Nordic Development Fund (NDF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Calvert Impact Capital (CIC), are partnering to invest $55 million into off-grid energy. The Fund is expected to facilitate the matching of local currency debt instruments with cutting-edge off-grid energy business models to scale up energy access for rural communities.

In 2017, 100% of the African Development Bank investment was in clean energy and efficiency, totalizing 1,400 megawatts exclusively from renewables. The aim of the Bank is to lead on renewable energy and to help Africa unlock its full energy potential, while developing a balanced energy mix to support industrialization.

Porto-Novo county, located in Santo Antão Island, Cape Verde has been taking major steps torwards energy access, through clean sustainable sources. 

Porto-Novo county is already known for its successful experiments in what concerns renewable energy and improving the access of its communities to electricity and water pumping intended for human consumption and agriculture.

The Namaacha utility-scale wind farm project in Mozambique will be supported by the African Development Bank through the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA).

 The project will add 60 MW peak power to the grid and expand transmission capacities and it is expected to be set as an example to replicate in the Southern Africa Region. It will provide reliable and clean power to the grid-connected population and industries in Maputo Province.

Recently, Mozambique’s energy sector has been under several changes. One of them is the creation of a new independent energy regulator, the Energy Regulatory Authority (Portuguese acronym ARENE).

Dear readers, 

As we start 2018, there is good news and bad news on providing sustainable energy for all.

The bad news is that there is still a lot to do. 

The good news? The solutions are within our reach; we simply need technology, policy and finance to work together.

The challenge of 2018 is speed and scale.

ALER is pleased to announce its Proud Partnership with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). This collaboration intends to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Energy for All objectives and those of Sustainable Development Goal 7.

Águas de Ponta Preta (APP), joins ALER as our most recent member.

ALER will be in Bissau during the third week of February to prepare the planned activities for the current year. If you are interested in scheduling a meeting with ALER in Guinea Bissau, between the 19th and 22nd of February, please contact us at geral@aler-renovaveis.org.

The Energy Compact Africa-Mozambique agreement, signed last December 1 by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy and several partners including ALER, is now available for consultation and dissemination.

Dear Members and Friends of ALER,

As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to make the retrospective of ALER’s activities. Additionally, it is also the end of the first mandate of the governing bodies of ALER. One more reason to take a moment and appreciate all the work that has been done.

ALER is looking for an administrative assistant to join the Association under the scope of an internship from the Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP).

Clean cookstoves change the lives of the families in the communities of posto administrativo 3 de fevereiro, in Manhica district in Mozambique. The project is being implemented by Livaningo since 2012 and aims to reduce the use of wood and coal, as well as indoor pollution caused by smoke.

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and partners launched the new People-Centered Accelerator - a voluntary partnership led initiative that aims to advance social inclusion, gender equality and women’s empowerment in sustainable energy, contributing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

The Regional Off-Grid Electrification Project (ROGEP) was recently presented by the Guinea Bissau Government to investors, international partners and entrepreneurs, with the purpose to increase electricity access to households, businesses and public facilities.

On the 28thof November, the World Bank and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) launched the new Global Wind Atlas, a free web-based tool to help policymakers and investors identify promising areas for wind power generation, virtually anywhere in the world. 

On December 15th, ALER celebrated its third anniversary.

ALER continues to grow and place Lusophone countries on the renewables’map!

Thanks to all who have contributed to the success of these three years.

On December 1st, the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy and cooperation partners, together with ALER and AMER, signed in Maputo the "Energy Compact Africa-Mozambique", an initiative to promote the expansion of the domestic solar market in Africa and help achieve one of the Sustainable Development Goals - universal access to energy.

Dear readers,

Bambadinca’s mini-grid was built pursuant to the Community Programme for Access to Renewable Energy in Bambadinca – “Bambadinca Sta Claro”, and a business model has been developed and implemented to ensure its sustainable operation.To ensure economic and social sustainability of the project, the management is done by a public-community partnership and in this context, the Community Energy Service of Bambadinca (SCEB) has been set up. 

The twenty-third session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) took place from 6-17 November in Bonn, Germany. COP 23 finished with slow progresses and with the discontent of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

African Portuguese speaking countries were present at COP 23 in order to ask for higher technical and financial support to deal with global warming in a time where Africa is already suffering with climate change.

Gilda Monjane is a name that does not go unnoticed in the energy sector Responsible for the “Loja de Energia” project, for which she won international awards, she is a Mozambican entrepreneur who intends to take clean energy to rural areas and at the same time to empower women.

Loja de Energia is a project which intends to take renewable energies close to the citizens of most remote rural areas of Mozambique that don’t have access to energy.

ALER was part of the few invited to the official visit of the President of the African Development Bank to Portugal, which took place at the Great Hall of the Ministry of Finance, on the 13thof November 2017.

The Executive Director of ALER, Isabel Cancela de Abreu, took part on the round table “Strategic partnerships with the African Development Bank (AfDB), organized by the Planning, Strategy, Evaluation and International Relations Office (GPEARI) of the Ministry of Finance.

The ministers responsible for energy in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) and its representatives from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé e Príncipe and East Timor met in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil on the 22ndof November 2017, for the II Meeting of the CPLP Energy Ministers.

Released on 14 November, the 2017 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO) introduces a new scenario, the Sustainable Development Scenario which describes an integrated path to achieve three critical goals: climate stabilisation, cleaner air and universal access to modern energy.

Dear readers,

On the first day of the conference “Renewable Energy in the Electrification of Mozambique”, I had the pleasure of moderating a high-level debate between representatives from the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), Fundo de Energia (FUNAE), Ministry of Environment and Rural Development (MITADER), a senior expert of the World Bank and the newly established regulator (ARENE). 

AMER - Mozambican Renewable Energy Association took further steps towards its constitution and starting up of the activities, with ALER’s support and RECP funding.

On the 23 of October, the first General Constituent Assembly took place and has approved the statutes and elected the corporate bodies. On October 26, at the end of ALER’s Conference “Renewables in the Electrification of Mozambique”, AMER and its board were officially presented. 

At the end of the first edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF2017) held in Dakar, Senegal from 11- 13 October, delegates stressed the urgent need for more commitment at the national level from member states. Thus, they called on ECREEE to provide the necessary technical support for the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency policies in order to achieve the ambitious goals of the region.

The American singer Akon in partnership with the Mozambican association Machel Fidus has agreed to inject 50 million US dollars into a project to electrify rural areas in the central provinces of Manica and Sofala through solar power.

Together with its partners Energising Development (EnDev) and Practical Action, the EUEI PDF has set out to collect a systematic overview of national approaches to electrification. The project is important, since despite a long history of electrification globally and a variety of technologies, policy approaches and market development instruments, a comprehensive compilation has so far been missing.

ALER, the Association of Portuguese speaking countries for Renewable Energy with support from the RECP (Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme) organised an international conference “Renewable Energy in the Electrification of Mozambique” in Maputo during 25 and 26 October. 

Dear Readers
I am pleased to communicate to ALER members that Energy Africa Mozambique Compact is complete and it is expected to be signed by the Government of Mozambique and its supporters including development partners during the upcoming ALER conference on 25-26 October 2017 in Maputo.

The Africa Mini-Grid Developers Association (AMDA) is the first mini-grid trade association and was created to help achieve a long-term solution to electricity poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and partners announced recently first-of-its-kind research analyzing finance flows for electricity and clean cooking access in 20 countries across Africa and Asia with significant access gaps, and how finance strategies could be scaled and refined to reach more people, more affordably, with sustainable energy. 

After a successful public consultation on September 29th in Maputo, with the support and presence of ALER, the installation committee of Associação Moçambicana de Energias Renováveis (AMER), thanks all participants and invites all interested parties to register as founding members of AMER.

The next Sustainable Energy for All Forum will take place on May 2-3, 2018, in Lisbon, Portugal. Save these dates on your calendar!

Energypedia, partner of ALER, has recently launched its mini-grid portal: a centralized platform for all information related to mini-grids such as mini-grid definition, site selection, legal & financial framework and a list of online resources on mini-grids.

IRENA's online platform, Project Navigator, provides the tools and guidance to assist in developing renewable mini-grid projects and introduces the best practices to assist project developers in preparing, developing, and operating bankable projects, particularly in the context of SIDS.

On the sidelines of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, a new agreement signed in New York, on September 20, signals the beginning of joint work on development projects in the African island nation, with a focus on renewable energy.

The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy through Energy Fund (FUNAE), both Members of ALER, launched a portfolio of Renewable Energy Projects, budgeted at 500 million US dollars, on September 19, in Maputo, which aims to mobilize private financing and from multilateral cooperation partners for solar and hydro projects.

An agreement was signed between the European Union (the funding entity) and LuxDev (implementing agency) to implement the Strengthening the regional positioning of Center for Renewable Energy and Industrial maintenance of Cabo Verde (CERMI)” project.

The Government of Cape Verde through the Energy, Industry, and Commerce National Directorate and the Center for Renewable Energy and Industrial Maintenance, and with the support of the Spanish Cooperation, will implement the “Promotion of Solar Thermal Energy for Water Heating” project.

ALER is looking for a Technical and Communications Assistant. Check here the job and profile description and if you believe you comply with the requirements please send us your application via this online form (CVs sent by email will not be considered). Applications are open until 17 September.

Dear Readers,

The RECP trade missions aim to stimulate the market for renewable energy in Africa by encouraging and supporting private sector engagement. During the RECP Trade Mission to Mozambique, taking place from 23-27 October, you will have the opportunity to establish direct contacts to businesses, government, and institutions in Mozambique interested in the solar energy industry and market. 

Power Africa, a U.S. Government-led initiative to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, has released its annual report. The initiative consists of more than 150 public and private sector partners, which have collectively committed more than $54 billion towards achieving Power Africa's goals. It is among the world's largest public-private partnerships in development history.

Using the latest energy data from knowledge their partners, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) has launched newly updated ‘heat maps’ on its web site that help identify countries and regions around the world making the most progress – and facing the biggest challenges – on key sustainable energy issues (access to clean cooking, electricity access, energy efficiency and renewable energy).

ALER and the Central Africa Network for Renewables Energies (RACEN) signed recently a MoU to promote cooperation, coordination, and information sharing between both institutions for the promotion of renewables in the Portuguese-speaking countries in Central Africa.

Dear Readers,

Guinea-Bissau is a country that has experienced and continues to go through very delicate times concerning the supply of modern and sustainable energy services to the population, especially in rural areas. In order to reverse this situation, the country has adopted objectives and strategies aimed at minimizing this scenario by using alternative or clean energy sources.

Understanding the energy needs and market opportunities in the specific off-grid community or region is the first step in D-Lab's Off-Grid Energy Roadmap. 

ALER invite all stakeholders to participate in this survey and to contribute to the creation of AMER - Mozambique Renewable Energy Association.

A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) that sets out to provide comprehensive, reliable data sets on the latest developments in renewable energy.

The SADC High level Ministerial Resource Mobilisation Workshop and Energy Investment Forum of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) took place on 12-13 July, 2017, in Swaziland, upon the 36th Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Energy and Water.

UNIDO, ECREEE and the Government of Sao Tomé e Príncipe agreed on the main pillars of a strategic programme, finance by GEF, to promote rewable energy and energy efficiency in the country.  

Dear Readers,
One of ALER's main objectives has been the dissemination of relevant and up-to-date information on the state of renewable energies and energy access in Lusophone countries. This was the rationale behind the publication of our Mozambique national renewables status report, which we intend to replicate for the other ALER priority countries, namely the African Portuguese-speaking countries and East Timor.

Registration Open for RECP Trade Mission to Mozambique.

This Smart Villages “pocket guide” is intended as a quick reference to off-grid technologies, policies, and impacts – including stories of successful village energy projects from across the global south.

For the first time, the data hub allows users to discover all of the Climatescope dedicated off-grid sub-indicators. The Climatescope off-grid data viewer offers an overview and comparison of 23 countries, providing electricity prices and fuel prices for each country along with a multitude of indicators. 

This is the third and last webinar on mini-grids, organized by Energypedia UG, partner of ALER, titled, “Productive End Use of Mini-Grids using Micro/Mini Hydro – Three Examples of How to Make it Happen”. 

Under the Empowering Community program, supported by Naturvenforbund (NNV), Livaningo launched the project "Clean Energies in the context of Climate Change" in the district of Magude, in Mozambique.

Working in conjunction with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in particular, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), Pöyry has mapped the small scale hydropower potential in 14 ECOWAS countries (excluding Cape Verde) using the latest geographic information system (GIS) technology. 

The project Farmers’ Clubs Renewable Energy in Oio introduced a new focus on renewable energy activities (solar and biofuel energy) to the previous agriculture projects implemented by ADPP Guinea-Bissau in the country.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is available to finance new projects in São Tomé and Príncipe in energy, water and economic and financial management areas. The Bank's new action strategy envisages the production of renewable energy as one of the top priorities. 

Ministers and high-level officials from 85 countries sent a strong signal in a statement adopted at the Ministerial Conference held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 11 June 2017, under the theme ‘Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Energy.’

Angola is represented at the Astana EXPO 2017 Future Energy and will present renewable energies and energy efficiency proposals. This event will be held in Astana, capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan and will be open to the public from 10 June to 10 September 2017.

On June 7, REN21, of which ALER is a member, published its Renewables 2017 Global Status Report (GSR), the most comprehensive annual overview of the state of renewable energy.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, will provide a financial package of US$55 million to build Mozambique’s first utility-scale PV project. 

FUNAE (Energy Fund of Mozambique), member of ALER, and Galp Energia signed a partnership agreement, on May 30 in Maputo, which aims to implement a social project consisting on the installation of PV solar systems in schools, health facilities and communities in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Manica, Sofala and Maputo.

Dear Readers,

Nationally, most developing countries have introduced ambitious policies and targets to scale up renewable energy and energy efficiency markets, industries and innovation. However, particularly in many least developed and small island countries the practical implementation progress is behind schedule, unequally distributed and has not transformed into economies of scale.

The European Commission and the High Representative/Vice-President presented on May 4 a revitalised framework for joint action, to build a stronger strategic partnership between Europe and Africa for more prosperity and stability in the two continents. 

AEBIOM has teamed up with the World Bioenergy Association for its upcoming Webinar on Biomass Residues & Waste in Southern Africa, which will take place 12 June 15:00 (CEST). The webinar will focus on the realities of Zambia and Mozambique.

ALER welcomes its latest Honorary Member, the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Guinea-Bissau.

The SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) website is now online

During the month of May, ALER participated as a guest speaker in the Vienna Energy Forum and the Africa-Portugal Forum, and was invited by its Member FCUL to give a lecture on the seminars of MIT- Portugal Doctoral Program in Sustainable Energy Systems.

The Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) aims to empower women who work in sustainable energy in developed, emerging and developing countries through mentoring, coaching, advocacy and technical cooperation.

APREN - Portuguese Renewable Energy Association, member of ALER, launched the 3rd edition of APREN's Award, an initiative which aims to promote academic dissertations under the theme of electricity generation from renewable energy sources, carried out in higher education institutions in Portugal.

This is the second in a series of three webinars on mini-grids organized by Energypedia UG, partner of ALER, and will present examples from Indonesia and Sri Lanka where micro and mini hydropower (MHP) systems have been successfully connected to the national grid and even benefited the local community. 

UN Environment and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have recently released an Atlas describing Africa’s energy potential and opportunities for investment to meet its energy needs at the World Economic Forum on Africa being held in Durban, South Africa.

The Global 100% Renewable Energy Platform has released a comprehensive toolkit, “100% RE Building Blocks“, to support the 100% renewable energy transition by providing policy makers, governments, and community champions with the tools to create their own 100% renewable energy roadmaps.

With a high percentage of the West African population living in remote rural areas, clean energy-powered mini-grids (CMEGs) have been identified as an essential tool for achieving universal energy access. An ambitious target of building 128,000 in West Africa by 2030 has been set. 

The company Cabeólica, Member of ALER, recently won the award for the most sustainable development, under the first Smart Island World Congress, which took place in Mallorca, Spain.

Dear Readers,

Throughout this year ALER will invite those responsible for the case studies of successful mini-grids operating in Portuguese-speaking countries to present their projects, which will be later compiled in the Portuguese version of the Mini-Grid Policy Toolkit. Our first invitation was addressed to Águas de Ponta Preta (APP) in Cape Verde, to present the Monte Trigo project which celebrated its fifth anniversary this year.

ALER will attend the Vienna Energy Forum and will participate as a guest speaker on the Global Energy Facility - GEF side event entitled “Innovative Business Models to Attract Sustainable Energy Investment for LDCs and SIDS” on May 9 .

Energypedia UG, one of ALER’s partners, is now organizing its first webinar on mini-grids. The webinar is free and all interested people can register for it.

Global 100% RE campaign, from which ALER is a partner, will organize an event to officially launch The Global 100% Renewable Energy Platform. 

In every area of sustainable energy, a number of countries are outperforming the world, despite slower than required progress overall to achieve global energy access, renewable energy and energy efficiency goals, a new GTF's report finds.

Over the next five years, the AfDB aims to help rehabilitate utilities and help national providers become profitable. Power companies across the continent have struggled to keep up with technology that would provide adequate connections to growing cities. 

The German-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCILA) is organising the III German Energy Business Mission to Cape Verde from 8th – 12th of May 2017, including the III German-Cape-Verdean Energy Symposium and Bilateral Meetings.

The Sustainable Energy for All Forum closed with partners from civil society, government, business, faith and UN agencies all uniting to ‘get the job done’ and ensure global energy goals are back on track to achieve our 2030 targets.

Cape Verde is expected to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change soon, the Environment Minister said at a conference in which he reaffirmed the country's priority commitment for electricity generation from renewable sources.

ALER and CLUB-ER signed on April 12, 2017, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to kick-off the beginning of a partnership between both associations.

The REN21 multi-stakeholder network, of which ALER is a member, released on April 4 its latest report on the feasibility and challenges of achieving a 100% renewable energy future. Entitled “Renewables Global Futures Report: Great debates towards 100% renewable energy” the launch took place at the Sustainable Energy for All Forum in New York.

Power for All, a partner of ALER, has recently published a new report entitled “Decentralized Renewables: From Promise to Progress” and call for policy action.

EDP's President, António Mexia, was appointed on April 3 chairman of the board of directors of the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll) initiative

At the Africa CEO Forum in Geneva, AFD Group – in partnership with the European Union – unveiled the “African Renewable Energy Scale-Up facility” (ARE Scale Up), designed to boost private sector investment in on–grid and off-grid renewable energy production in Africa.

The Gabon Region, eastern Guinea, is the first region in the country to make a serious commitment to the use of renewable and clean energy from solar panels. The second largest economic city of the country is undoubtedly an example to follow, regarding the protection of the environment through the consumption of electricity from sources considered clean.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) brought together more than 180 stakeholders across the off-grid energy sector on March 28 in the context of “Energy Week” at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan to discuss interventions to support the scale-up of energy access investments.

Dear Readers,
Cabeólica is a groundbreaking project that stemmed from Cape Verde’s aspirations to increase wind energy penetration by promoting a Public Private Partnership (PPP) which engaged foreign investment and technical and business know-how. 

The GET FiT (Global Energy Transfer Feed-in Tariff) program started to be implemented in Uganda in 2013 and is now starting to take its first steps in Mozambique.

The ECOWAS Renewable Energy Facility (EREF) has been in place since 2011 and provides funding for the entire ECOWAS region. EREF-GB was established in 2017 and is an exclusive funding window for Guinea-Bissau.

Under the agreement signed with RECP, ALER is currently translating the Mini-Grid Policy Toolkit into Portuguese and is adding new mini-grid case studies in Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PALOP) to the document.

The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) in Mozambique is the latest ALER’s member.

The Solar Panel Factory, launched on November 2013, has received the TÜV International Certification issued by TÜV Rheinland, a German institution, global market leader in testing and certification of PV modules.

The Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon has recently joined ALER and shared academic works related to off-grid projects, some of them focused on the African continent. 

African governments and their partners need to move faster to bridge the continent’s huge energy gap. That means adopting every available solution, on and off the grid, according to a new report from Kofi Annan’s Africa Progress Panel.

The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) has been awarded a grant of US$ 1 Million for its project on “Feasibility Study on Business Opportunities for Women in a Changing Energy Value Chain in West Africa”. Funded by AfDB, NEPAD-IPPF Special Fund, the Project aims to advance women’s role as producers and suppliers of energy services in West Africa.

Families of the little village of Damo in the Moamba District, some 90 kilometers away from the capital of Mozambique, remember the times when firewood and kerosene lamps were the only sources of light to illuminate the interior of their homes. With World Bank support to the Government of Mozambique’s Energy Development and Access Project (EDAP), life in this and many other villages across the country have changed dramatically in recent years.

ALER is media partner of the Africa Energy Forum (AEF) 2017, which will take place between 7-9 June in Copenhagen, Denmark. All ALER Members are entitled to a 15% discounted on the gold pass.

ARE, together with Energias de Portugal (EDP) and the African-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme (RECP), is organising the ARE Energy Access Investment Forum in Lisbon on 22-23 March 2017. You are very welcome to join the Forum to discuss market conditions, key policy initiatives, business opportunities and to showcase financial and technical instruments supporting rural electrification projects in developing and emerging markets.

The PV Power Plant in Monte Trigo celebrates this month its fifth of operations in a continuous, uninterrupted and safe way. 

Monte Trigo became Cape Verde’s first rural micro grid with 100% renewable energy generation, operating since February 2012. 

The Executive Director of ALER will be in Maputo during the second week of March to prepare the planned activities for the current year.

SEforALL and the World Bank Group launched RISE: Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy on February 15th in Washington DC.

RISE provides an overview of progress towards establishing the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks for sustainable energy in 111 countries across the globe.

The Minister of Finance, Trade and Blue Economy of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe,  Américo Ramos, has officially announced the Power Sector Recovery Project, which aims to reform the energy sector in the country. 

The SEforALL Africa Hub hosted by the African Development Bank in partnership with the African Union Commission, the NEPAD Agency, UNDP, the SADC Secretariat (representing the Regional Economic Communities) and in collaboration with the SEforALL Global Facilitation Team will organise the 4th Annual SEforALL Africa Workshop.

The European Union through the 'Electrification Financing Initiative' announces the launch of the 2017 second ElectriFI Call for investment proposals.

To promote knowledge exchange and sharing on trending renewable energy topics, energypedia - one of ALER's partners - has launched a new feature, “Energypedia Community Answers (ECA)”.

The Africa- EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme (RECP), partner of ALER, will organize trade missions to Africa through this year.