Our research shows that combining sustainably managed hydropower plants with new solar and wind power projects is a promising option for the West African region.
Benefits for health, costs and ecology
In our paper, we use a new model to examine the synergies of sustainable hydropower generation with solar and wind power in West Africa.
We show that the region can use hydropower, rather than natural gas plants, to ensure grid reliability while increasing solar and wind power.
It can be used for other regions that depend heavily on hydropower and also seek to increase solar and wind power generation.
West African countries are not yet locked in to large, integrated power grid infrastructure designed for plants powered by fossil fuels, as is the case in Europe and North America.
