ETA Explains breaks down complex energy, climate, and extractive industries issues into clear, accessible insights. From just transition concepts and carbon markets to critical minerals and energy finance, this section demystifies technical debates shaping Africa’s energy future. Built for clarity and context, ETA Explains helps policymakers, journalists, advocates, and citizens understand the issues — without losing nuance or depth.
66 articles found
Copper, cobalt, manganese, graphite, lithium, and platinum group metals all power clean energy. Africa holds major reserves of each. ETA explains which minerals matter, why, and where Africa sits in each supply chain.
Only 16% of unelectrified Sub-Saharan African households can afford even the cheapest solar PAYG product. Grid extension economics favour the wrong communities. ETA explains the mechanisms that leave the poorest behind.
South Africa's Electricity Regulation Amendment Act took effect in January 2026. NERSA's Draft Electricity Trading Rules, consultation now closing 28 August, will determine how the competitive market actually works. ETA explains.
Solar batteries in sub-Saharan Africa last one to five years. When they fail, 71% are thrown into pits or bins. One informally recycled battery releases 100+ times the lethal dose of lead. ETA explains what three peer-reviewed studies have documented.
Lithium-ion dominates the global clean energy transition. Africa's off-grid solar market still relies on lead-acid batteries. ETA explains why affordability, not technology, is keeping older battery chemistry alive, and what must change before households can switch.
Africa's energy projects earn in local currency and owe debt in dollars. Currency depreciation kills them quietly. ETA Explains the mismatch mechanism and what would fix it.
Africa's borrowing costs are three times Europe's. The African Credit Rating Agency is the first institution designed to challenge that. ETA explains what AfCRA is and what it could mean for clean energy.
666 million globally lack electricity; 85% in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria leads the world's deficit. ETA Explains the data — and why 600 million is the wrong number to track.
The IEA says existing tools could unlock 1,600 GW of stalled projects. Africa is not using them. ETA explains the regulatory gap that is the real barrier.
Africa holds 92% of global platinum reserves, 56% of cobalt, and $29.5 trillion in total mineral wealth. It captures a fraction of the downstream value. ETA Explains the four-stage value chain mechanism behind that gap.
Zimbabwe banned raw lithium exports in 2022, and by 2026 China’s Huayou Cobalt had opened Africa’s first lithium sulphate plant at Arcadia. ETA Explains why local processing does not automatically mean local value capture.
IRENA data shows 86 million Africans connected to off-grid solar, yet almost all receive too little electricity to power productive economic activity. ETA Explains why access has expanded faster than usable power.