By Gerson Nasau
As the race to combat climate change accelerates, renewable energy projects are emerging as symbols of progress, delivering clean power to communities and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
However, beneath the glimmer of solar panels and the sweep of wind turbines lies a challenging question: what happens when these solutions collide with the land-dependent livelihoods of rural populations?
In regions where land means food security, cultural identity, and a social safety net, the rapid expansion of renewable energy presents a pressing challenge to balance sustainability with survival.
The global energy transition toward renewable sources has accelerated, driven by the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. Solar parks and wind farms have emerged as leading technologies in this shift, offering significant potential for sustainable energy production.
However, these projects bring a challenge that cannot be overlooked—the vast tracts of land required for their implementation. In countries like Namibia, where land holds deep socio-economic and cultural significance, this issue creates a complex trade-off between achieving sustainability goals and safeguarding social equity.
Large solar parks and wind farms are often defined by their capacity and corresponding land demands. On average, a utility-scale solar park requires between 3.5 and 4 acres per megawatt (MW) of installed capacity.
For instance, the Noor Abu Dhabi solar park in the United Arab Emirates, one of the largest in the world with a capacity of 1,177 MW, spans over 8 square kilometers (approximately 2,000 acres). Similarly, the Tengger Desert Solar Park in China, with a capacity of 1,547 MW, covers an impressive area of 43 square kilometers (10,625 acres).
Wind farms, although less densely packed with infrastructure, require even more land to accommodate turbine spacing. An onshore wind farm typically requires 40 to 70 acres per MW of capacity, including open spaces needed for optimal wind flow and maintenance access.
For example, the Alta Wind Energy Center in California, the United States’ largest onshore wind project, has a capacity of 1,550 MW and spans 320 square kilometers (over 79,000 acres). These expansive footprints can pose significant land-use challenges, especially in regions where land serves as a vital means of subsistence or social safety.
While countries with vast deserts and low population densities, such as Namibia, might seem ideal for renewable energy installations, the reality is far more complex. Land in Namibia is a lifeline for its rural communities, supporting subsistence farming, grazing, and food security. It also holds cultural significance, tied deeply to Namibia’s historical and social fabric, and serves as a buffer against economic hardship for vulnerable populations.
In Namibia, these land requirements are particularly consequential. While the country boasts vast deserts seemingly ideal for solar and wind energy projects, its communal lands are central to rural livelihoods. Over half the population relies on agriculture, grazing, and shared land access to meet basic needs. Large renewable energy installations on these lands risk disrupting food production, reducing grazing areas for livestock, and displacing already vulnerable communities.
Similar dynamics have played out elsewhere. The Kajiado Solar Plant in Kenya, a 200-acre project, created conflicts with local Maasai communities, whose grazing practices were constrained, adversely affecting their livelihoods.
Balancing this competition for land necessitates a rethinking of how and where renewable energy projects are deployed. Namibia’s vast and largely unutilized 1,300-kilometer coastline presents an untapped resource for ocean-based renewable energy technologies.
Unlike land-dependent solutions, wave energy technologies such as WaveRoller operate entirely offshore, producing power from ocean waves without occupying valuable terrestrial resources. For a nation like Namibia, with rich marine potential, this offers a unique pathway to sustainable energy expansion without encroaching on land critical to agriculture and community stability.
In addition to exploring marine renewables, Namibia can leverage innovative land-efficient technologies. Hybrid systems, such as Windcurrent’s vertical-axis wind turbines and underwater turbines, significantly reduce the land footprint while delivering high-capacity energy output.
By generating electricity using compact setups that combine air and underwater dynamics, these systems achieve competitive Levelized Costs of Energy (LCOE) while sparing large swaths of land. Agrivoltaic systems, which integrate solar panels into agricultural fields, also hold promise for Namibia. These installations allow land to serve dual purposes, producing clean energy while enabling continued food production, an essential model for safeguarding rural livelihoods.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how renewable energy projects are planned and deployed, especially in minimizing land use. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI tools can identify the most efficient and least disruptive sites for solar and wind projects. These systems use satellite imagery, land use data, and environmental metrics to pinpoint areas with high energy potential while avoiding fertile farmland, grazing areas, or ecologically sensitive zones.
Advanced algorithms can assess socio-economic factors, ensuring that project locations do not displace vulnerable communities or disrupt critical livelihoods. For example, specialized tools from startups like Blue Dot enable developers to prioritize degraded or underutilized lands for energy projects. In regions like Namibia, where land is both a socio-economic asset and a means of subsistence, deploying AI to optimize site selection ensures that renewable energy projects align with sustainability goals without exacerbating land-use conflicts.
Beyond technological solutions, Namibia must implement inclusive and forward-looking policies to manage land use equitably. Governments should prioritize renewable energy projects on degraded or arid lands with limited agricultural or communal utility, thereby minimizing competition for fertile land. Equally important are policies that engage and benefit local communities. Inclusive planning processes and public consultations should be non-negotiable in project development, ensuring community voices are heard. Compensation structures, revenue-sharing agreements, and co-ownership models can mitigate the risks of displacement and create new economic opportunities for affected populations.
Investors and developers, too, must take a proactive role by aligning their projects with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. Responsible project designs, emphasizing land efficiency and minimizing environmental disruption, should become industry best practices.
The renewable energy transition is not simply about technology—it is about addressing intersecting challenges of energy, equity, and livelihoods. Namibia’s unique context, with its land-based inequalities and untapped ocean energy potential, offers both a cautionary tale and a hopeful roadmap for a sustainable future. Through marine energy adoption, technological innovation, and equitable policies, Namibia can become a global model for balancing land use with renewable energy growth.
The energy sector, policymakers, and innovators must recognize the critical need for such an integrated approach. By safeguarding land as a means of survival while leveraging new energy possibilities, Namibia—and the broader renewable energy community—can ensure a transition that is both sustainable and inclusive.
Namibia stands at a crossroads in its renewable energy development. It has the potential to become a global leader in green energy while simultaneously safeguarding the social and economic well-being of its people.
By leveraging AI for precise site selection, adopting marine and hybrid energy technologies, and integrating land-efficient designs, the country can balance sustainability and equity.
Policymakers, developers, and global investors must work collectively to ensure that renewable energy does not become a trade-off between progress and survival but rather a driver for inclusive and sustainable development.
*Gerson Nasau is Co-founder of Kaoko Green Energy Solutions (Pty) Ltd
