Institutional Settings, Renewable Energy Development, and Forest Cover Changes in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This chapter explores the roles of institutional settings in renewable energy (RE) development in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the effects of RE development on forest cover changes in the region. The study finds that the slow but persistent growth in RE contribution to total energy bundles can be credited to the general improvements in institutional reforms and frameworks. It also finds that unlike biomass-based RE systems, the indirect deforestation effects associated with solar and wind energy systems, are largely offset by the environmental benefits that accrue from them. Based on these findings, the chapter recommends that coordinated institutional interventions should prioritize the deployment of more environmentally sustainable RE technologies such as solar and wind energies.