Story highlights New renewable energy projects are emerging across Africa

With the population expected to double by 2050, the demand for electricity is growing

As the continent leapfrogs old-fashioned energy systems, could it become a leader in renewable energy?

(CNN) From an Africa-shaped mega solar plant powering Kigali, Rwanda, to a massive geothermal plant harvesting the power of Kenya's hot springs, renewable energy plants are popping up around the continent.

Sub-Saharan Africa is desperately short of power and roughly 620 million Africans live without a reliable source of electricity.

She believes the continent could soon become a renewables superpower, and that it can leapfrog carbon-centered energy systems and go straight to renewables.

"Because what we see is that Africa has got the advantage of coming in now without the heavy old systems that a lot of other countries and regions have," says Kende-Robb.