Impact of economic development on CO2 emission in Africa; the role of BEVs and hydrogen production in renewable energy integration

Abstract

Unlike previous studies where models/methods used in determining the carbon emission are presented, in this paper, a detailed analysis of the causes, trends, and solutions to carbon emission in Africa is presented. Economic development plays a crucial role in the well-being of a country/continent, thereby, affecting energy consumption. The impact of economic development on Africa's carbon (CO2) emissions trend is first investigated. After which, three neural network models are developed to predict the future trend of total CO2 emission in the continent. Then, the use of renewable energy (RE) sources for power generation is analyzed/proposed as a viable solution for CO2 emission reduction in Africa. Finally, the impact of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) integration and hydrogen production in maximizing RE production in Africa's largest economy is analyzed. Secondary data of the economic indicators for twenty-five different African countries have been used to justify the effect of economic development on their carbon emission. From the results of the analyses, gross national income and carbon emissions in all sectors were found to be significantly positively correlated. That is, as national wealth across Africa increases, carbon emissions in the continent increase. Also, the predicted total annual CO2 emission showed that most countries will witness an increase in total CO2 emission by 2022 in comparison to 2018. The proposed RE-based method for power generation showed that the CO2 emission from the power industry can be reduced to zero for an African country. Nevertheless, the use of BEVs and the production of hydrogen will be integral in achieving this.