The Western world has greatly benefited from the use of fossil fuels. Over the past two centuries, countries in the West have industrialized with help of non-renewable energy and are now reaping the benefits of having gone through that process. The use of fossil fuels enabled significant growth in the Western world and facilitated important advancements in productivity, wealth, and living standards. The world’s current developing countries have the right to share the same benefits but the use of fossil fuels to power this growth is unfeasible.
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We are experiencing the effects of climate change more and more. The world is faced with the phenomenal task of reducing its carbon emissions to meet climate change goals and becoming carbon neutral.
As developing countries urbanize, their populations grow, and they seek to expand their horizons, their energy demands increase. However, with the world making significant efforts to switch from fossil fuels to renewables, developing countries cannot follow the same path of development that the Western world did; they will need to establish infrastructure to support the widespread use of renewable energy.
The Growing Energy Needs of French Guiana
Over recent years, French Guiana has experienced rapid population growth, resulting in a huge energy deficit where the needs of the growing population are not being met.
To meet the country’s growing demands, CEOG, an innovative multi-megawatt power plant, is being constructed to generate clean energy around the clock. The project, which fits French Guiana’s energy strategy, will be connected to the grid via EDF’s power station located in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, where it will produce sufficient energy to meet the country’s current energy needs as well as its anticipated future needs. HDF Energy is developing the project.
Unlike other sources of renewable energy, the CEOG plant provides a continuous rather than intermittent source of energy, meaning that it can power homes and businesses all day and night without interruption. It achieves this via generating power from photovoltaic panels (solar panels) and storing it in the form of hydrogen.
As well as not producing emissions, the plant is noise-free. It emits steam only. The team behind CEOG plan to deliver a baseload of 10 MW of electricity between 8 am and 8 pm, and 3 MW from 8 pm to 8 am. The plant will supply half of the energy required by Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and Mana.
Construction work began in September 2021, although the CEOG plant will not be fully commissioned until 2024.
The project will ensure a sustainable power supply for French Guiana as well as act as a template for other countries whose energy demands are also increasing.
Furthering Global Use of Renewable Energy
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Source: https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1442