Cape Verde and geothermal energy production
Cape Verde, an island nation located about 310 miles off the western coast of Africa, is known for its volcanic origins and limited natural resources. While the country lacks petroleum and has only minimal mineral resources, it has potential for geothermal energy production, which could play a significant role in its energy landscape. The nation has made strides in renewable energy, particularly through wind power, which provided approximately 20% of its electricity by 2016, largely due to the successful Cabeólica project aimed at expanding wind energy capacity.
Geothermal energy, harnessed from the heat of the Earth, has yet to be fully developed in Cape Verde, but there have been exploration efforts, especially around the island of Fogo, which is home to an active volcano. The government has also partnered with international organizations to establish a regional center for renewable energy and energy efficiency in Praia, with the goal of fostering sustainable energy development in West Africa. Despite challenges like economic hardship and a reliance on imported fossil fuels, Cape Verde aims to increase its renewable energy share to 50% by 2030, indicating a commitment to diversifying its energy resources and enhancing energy independence.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Cape Verde and geothermal energy production
Official Name: Republic of Cabo Verde.
Summary: Cabo Verde, an island nation off the western coast of Africa, has limited mineral resources and no petroleum resources, although it does have potential for geothermal energy production and makes use of wind power.
Cabo Verde (also known as Cape Verde) consists of a number of volcanic islands 310 miles (500 kilometers) off the western coast of Africa in the North Atlantic Ocean, which were uninhabited until they were colonized by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. The nation’s total land area is 2,506 square miles (4,033 square kilometers) and its estimated population in 2024 was 611,014, with about 68 percent living in urban areas. Because of their location, the Cabo Verde islands served as an important trading center and resupply stop for transatlantic shipping and whaling.
Cabo Verde became independent in 1975 and has enjoyed a stable democratic government. However, repeated droughts have caused economic hardship and a high rate of emigration (0.6 out migrants per 1,000 population in 2024) by Cabo Verde islanders in search of work, so that Cabo Verde has a larger expatriate population than the population living on the islands. Only 11.4 percent of the land is arable, and most (82 percent) of the food consumed in the islands is imported. The per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 was $8,200, with 11.9 percent unemployment and, in 2015, 35.2 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Cabo Verde runs a high trade deficit and is partly dependent on foreign aid and remittances (the latter estimated at 12.2 percent of GDP in 2023).
Cabo Verde has limited mineral resources, including salt, kaolin, limestone, clay, and gypsum, but no known reserves of petroleum, natural gas, or coal and no refining industry. Consumption of petroleum was steadily increasing from the mid-1980s to 2020. In 1986, annual petroleum consumption was 0.001 quadrillion Btu; in 1996, 0.002 quad Btu; in 2006, 0.01 quad Btu; in 2016, 0.013 quad Btu, and in 2020, 0.013 quad Btu. In 2022, petroleum energy consumption was 0.009 quad Btu, or 5,000 barrels per day.
Net generation and consumption of electricity have increased substantially since the 1980s. Net generation of electricity in 2000 was 0.15 terawatt-hours (TWh), 0.34 TWh in 2010, and 0.42 TWh in 2020. Consumption of electricity in 1980 was 1 TWh, fell to less than 1 TWh in 1986, and began increasing in 1999. It reached 3 TWh in 2006 and rose fairly steadily from there, remaining at 4 TWh from 2016 through 2021. By 2022, 83.1 percent of installed capacity was generated using fossil fuels, 14.8 percent wind, and 2.1 percent solar power.
Total carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of fossil fuels dropped in the early 1980s and have risen since then. In 1990, Cabo Verde produced 0.5 metric tons per capita of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel consumption; in 2000, 0.7; in 2010, 1; and in 2020, 1.1.
Cabo Verde, which has one active volcano (on the island of Fogo), makes some direct use of geothermal resources and may have potential for geothermal energy production. Some exploration for high-temperature geothermal resources has already been conducted. In 2010, the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, an agency of the Economic Community of West African States, opened a regional center in Praia, Cabo Verde’s capital. The center is supported by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the governments of Cabo Verde, Spain, and Austria. The purpose of the center is to develop renewable energy and energy efficiency markets in West Africa, design financing plans, build capacity, and develop quality assurance mechanisms. The center is also intended to establish demonstration projects that could be implemented in other countries in the West African States region.
Cabo Verde has also had significant success with wind energy. In 2005, the country had 3 megawatts of installed generating capacity and was outputting 5 megawatts of electricity from wind; by 2012 the capacity had increased to 25.5 MW, and the wind farms were supplying about 18 percent of Cabo Verde's electricity. This increase was due to the efforts of Project Cabeólica, a public-private partnership dedicated to increasing Cabo Verde's wind energy capacity and decreasing its dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels. Cabeólica won the title of best renewable project in Africa at the Africa Energy Awards in 2011 and is also the recipient of the 2013 Ashden Award for green energy. By 2016, the wind farms were supplying about 20 percent of the country's electricity; combined with solar, over a third of the country's energy came from renewable sources. However, the share of electricity produced from renewable sources dropped significantly after 2016 and in 2022 accounted for just 16 percent. The country had announced plans to increase renewable energy to 50 percent of its needs by 2030. In 2022, the government estimated it needed to add more than 150 MWp of new solar projects and more than 60 MW of new wind farms to achieve its goal.
Bibliography
Hanley, Steve. "Cape Verde Leads With 100% Renewable Electricity By 2020 Target." CleanTechnica, 3 Oct. 2016, cleantechnica.com/2016/10/03/cape-verde-leads-100-renewable-electricity-2020-target/. Accessed 31 July 2024.
Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. "Cape Verde: Energy Country Profile." Our World in Data, 2024, ourworldindata.org/energy/country/cape-verde. Accessed 31 July 2024.
United Nations. “UN-Supported Renewable Energy Centre for West Africa Opens in Cape Verde.” July 6, 2010. news.un.org/en/story/2010/07/343982. Accessed 31 July 2024.
US Energy Information Administration. “Cabo Verde.” www.eia.gov/international/overview/country/CPV. Accessed 31 July 2024.
World Energy Council. World Energy Resources: 2010 Survey. London: World Energy Council, 2010. www.worldenergy.org/publications/entry/world-energy-resources-2010-survey. Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.