INDUSTRY WATCH
According to the GSMA The Mobile Economy Sub- Saharan Africa 2022 report there will be 613m unique mobile subscribers by 2025 covering 50 % of the population , of which 41m will be 5G connections .
Mobile is forecast to generate $ 154bn in economic value by 2025 . Nigeria boasted 199.6 million mobile connections as of March 2022 , according to the West African country ’ s Communication Commission , NCC .
GSMA Intelligence data also showed that there were 108.6 million cellular mobile connections in South Africa at the start of 2022 , equivalent to 179.8 per cent of its population . Egypt ’ s 98.29 million mobile users during the first quarter of 2022 , represents 93.4 per cent of its population .
Yet currently in central Africa , 39 % of the population lives outside a mobile broadband coverage area . This figure is 16 % for West Africa , 13 % for East Africa and 12 % in Southern Africa . In all , it is estimated that 43 per cent of the entire African population is still without smartphone access .
This is one reason among many that points to new datacentre development in Africa requiring new thinking , new designs and new ways of operating .
Microgrids , battery storage
The use of microgrids and battery energy storage systems , BESS can enable datacentres to operate independently of the main utility grid or use a combination of grid and renewable power sources . The BESS stores excess renewable energy generated during times of low demand and releases it when needed . In doing so , it overcomes intermittency issues to extend the usefulness of renewable power and reduce reliance on non-renewable sources .
Ed Ansett , Founder and Chairman , i3 Solutions Group
New energy alternative
Africa is not just a story of remoteness and rurality . Africa ’ s 10 largest cities amount to 55 million people living in the continent ’ s biggest metros . Building and running the datacentres required to support the businesses in these metros and how they serve a growing and ever more connected population means facing up to new challenges from dealing with unreliable grids to finding sustainable energy .
The datacentre sector should look to the leapfrogging efforts of the power and mobile sectors of off-grid power and network rollouts . In the power supply areas , industrial microgrids are being built around a combination of renewable sources , where available and on-site engine-based power generation .
Power companies are onto the huge opportunities for leapfrogging outside the major cities , avoiding vast and costly fixed power line investment by jumping straight to solar and wind for power generation and building community , rural , and networked microgrids .
Leapfrogging is not a panacea but it shows that in power and telecoms , new thinking in supply and demand is facilitating rapid adoption and expansion .
The African battery market and value chain could lead to the generation of thousands of jobs across the continent and a market revenue estimated to reach $ 1 billion by 2030 . This market is driven by behindthe-meter , BTM battery installations including UPS , telecom , rooftop solar , solar home lighting systems , and microgrids .
Beyond the direct resources that datacentres can provide through district heating and cooling schemes from combined heat and power , CHP systems within the facilities and feeding power to microgrids , datacentres can also play a role in supporting social initiatives beyond their core operations .
In this respect , datacentre developments hold the potential to be a catalyst for a host of power and connectivity investments . They can for example partner with sustainable , affordable housing developers . There are also many opportunities for partnering with local organisations to provide digital literacy programs or supporting education and healthcare services in underserved areas , helping to bridge the digital divide and enhance overall societal well-being .
Africa is an emerging powerhouse that nationally and regionally will decide its own digital infrastructure future according to its resources . For engineers and designers , the game starts by sidestepping traditional thinking and leapfrogging to a sustainable future . p
66 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com