Cameroon has vast renewable energy resource potentials, with a hydropower potential of about 55, 200MW, second only to the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. So far, its energy needs are met by 4.8% hydropower (which accounts for less than 5% of its total hydropower potential), 0% wind and 0% solar. Cameroons’ energy sector still goes through insufficient electrical energy production, especially during the heart of the dry season, which runs from December through March. Coincidentally, the wind and solar power potentials for Cameroon are at their peak during these months and could conveniently supplement for the shortfalls in generation during these periods. In this research, technical analyses were carried out to determine the wind and solar energy resource potentials for Cameroon using the RETScreen software tool provided by CANMET Canada. These analysis revealed that the northern regions of Cameroon had higher wind and solar resource potentials than any other location in Cameroon. A 2MW installed wind energy capacity would be capable of generating well over 1.5GWh electrical energy per year, while a 2KW installed solar energy capacity will be capable of generating well over 3MWh electrical energy per year. In the final sections, financial analysis were carried out to determine the economic viability of such projects and the possibility for self-financing. Emission analyses were also done based on the ability for such projects to offset greenhouse gas emissions and ensure sustainability in the energy sector. The analysis for Maroua revealed that 78.6tCO2/yr for wind and 0.1tCO2/yr for solar could be reduced by those installations. Finally, the legislations and legal frameworks governing the energy sector in Cameroon were dissected to determine possible weaknesses and constraints limiting the use, promotion and development of the full potential of Cameroon’s renewable energy resources.

Text Sample: Kapitel 5, Economic and Sustainability Analysis: 5.1 Introduction: The importance of mineral and energy mineral resources cannot be overestimated. Most critical among the resources is energy. Energy is the key which unlocks all other natural resources. Without it the wheels of industry do not turn, no metals are mined and smelted. No cars, trucks, trains, ships or airplanes could be built and if built, they could not move without energy. Without energy, houses will remain cold and unlighted, food will be uncooked. Fields could not be ploughed nor planted with the ease and on the vast scale they are today by means of relatively little human labor. Military defense as we know it today would not exist. Without energy resources we would literally be back in the stone age. And without the use of energy and metals as we use them today, it is probable that the world’s population would be reduced at least one-half, some estimates say 90%”. Hot newspaper captions such as Power shortages hit Rio's Cameroon aluminium plant, ALUCAM output nearly 40% below capacity”, is no good news for any economy in the world. ALUCAM is one of Cameroon's largest industrial projects with a turnover of 149 billion FCFA (7.5 million) in 2008, representing 7% of industrial output and 5% of export revenues. Growing household electricity demands, has led to power rationing and frequent blackouts in Cameroon, and as a consequence has forced companies in Cameroon to produce below capacity. This is not good news for the company and its shareholders neither is it any good news for the Cameroonian economy or the government which will also lose money in terms of export taxes. There would be no forward direction for Cameroon’s economy, if a strong and steady supply of energy is not guaranteed. Such a source of energy would definitely be environmentally friendly, sustainable and cost effective. 5.2 Renewable Energy and Economic Development: Many experts have already pointed out the relationship between energy and economy. In this line, Gerhard et al., 1988 shares the same view with Youngquist as he puts it, that, the development of a national economy is closely related to its energy consumption. For large scale industrialization of a country, it is imperative that animal and human muscle power be substituted by machines, which require energy in the form of electricity or fuel to function. The complete development of renewable energy technologies will not only provide the economy and households with electrical energy to function, but it will guarantee sustainability in the energy sector. Also, the construction and maintenance of wind farms, solar plants and other renewable energy projects create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Installing new wind farms, for instance, creates temporary construction employment as laborers, carpenters and millwrights build the forms and pour the concrete for the foundations of wind turbines operating engineers run the cranes that lift the towers and electricians perform the wiring. Permanent employment is also created operating and maintaining these same machines. According to CALPIRG 2002, Studies performed by the California Energy Commission, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the University of California-Berkeley and the Centre for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, all confirm that renewable energy resources generate greater employment than equivalent investments in fossil fuels. While the job impacts vary according to specific technologies, a general rule of thumb is four to six times as many jobs per MW as conventional coal or natural gas power supplies. For example, natural gas power plants generate only about one job per megawatt (MW) during construction and ongoing operations and maintenance, while equivalent investments in solar photovoltaic power technologies would generate over seven jobs per MW.

• Renewable Energy

• Hydropower

• Biomass

• Sustainability

• Cameroon

• Electricity

• Economic Development

Bobbo Nfor Tansi, was born in 1982 in Nkambe - Cameroon. After high school, he studied Geology and Environmental Science at the University of Buea Cameroon and later moved to Cottbus Germany where he did his M.Sc. in Environmental and Resource Management. During his M.Sc. Program, he became interested in the Energy field especially renewable energy. Concerned over the weak economy and poor state of the art of energy, he has long been engaged in researches to promote the use and development of renewable energy for a sustainable future especially in Cameroon and Africa. An aspiring PhD student, he currently resides in Berlin Germany.