Renewable energy deployment policy-instruments for Cameroon: Implications on energy security, climate change mitigation and sustainable development

Cameroon is a lower middle-income country with a population of 25.87 million inhabitants distributed over a surface area of 475,442 ㎢. Cameroon has very rich potentials in renewable energy resources such as solar energy, wind energy, small hydropower, geothermal energy and biomass. However, renewable energy constitutes less than 0.1% of energy mix of the country. The energy generation mix of Cameroon is dominated by large hydropower and thermal power. Cameroon ratified the Paris Agreement in July 2016 with an ambitious 20% greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. This study attempts to investigate some renewable energy deployment policy-instruments that could enable the country enhance renewable energy deployment, gain energy independence, fulfill Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. It begins with an analysis of the status of energy sector in Cameroon. It further highlights the importance of renewable energy in mitigating climate change by decarbonizing the energy mix of the country to fulfill NDC and SDGs. Moreover, this study proposes some renewable energy deployment policy-solutions to the government. Solar energy is the most feasible renewable energy source in Cameroon. Feed-in Tariffs (FiT), is the best renewable energy support policy for Cameroon. Finally, this study concludes with some recommendations such as the necessity of building an Energy Storage System as well a renewable energy information and statistics infrastructure.