Power Africa forges new partnerships during Paris climate-change talks

The sub-Saharan African energy initiative Power Africa has announced several new energy partnerships and programs that have been developed during the ongoing Paris climate-change conference, which runs through Friday.

The conference is a gathering of world leaders focused on developing comprehensive steps to control and mitigate climate change.

Among those countries, Norway pledged to contribute 1,500 megawatts (MW) over the next five years toward Power Africa’s goal of 30,000 MW of electricity generation.

The International Renewable Energy Agency will help Power Africa reach its energy-generating goals by advertising power projects to development groups and funding sources through its existing networking platforms.

The United Kingdom's Department for International Development will work with Power Africa on boosting residential solar power access, strengthening the geothermal power system, and creating opportunities for women to be involved in the region's energy-generating initiatives.

Power Africa is a collaboration between U.S. and African governments, developers and other private-sector businesses. It was created in 2013 with a $7 billion investment from the U.S. government, which has led to almost $43 billion in investment from more than 120 partners around the world. Three quarters of the projects it has created involve renewable energy, and the overall output of current and prospective projects is 26,100 MW.

According to Power Africa, only 1 in 3 people in sub-Saharan Africa has reliable access to electricity.