Can smart management of hydropower plants support grid integration in West Africa?

We demonstrate that smart management of present and future hydropower plants in West Africa can support substantial grid integration of solar and wind power, limiting natural gas consumption while avoiding ecologically harmful hydropower overexploitation.

What is the West African renewable power database (warpd)?

The database of the present and future hydro, solar and wind power projects in West Africa developed for this work is named the West African Renewable Power Database (WARPD). It combines information from existing databases, scientific papers, technical project descriptions, newspaper articles and tender documents for future projects.

What percentage of West Africa's electricity is generated by hydropower?

Hydropower provides 20% of West Africa’s electricity with the remainder mostly generated from natural gas and oil 30, and thus currently accounts for nearly all of its RE. In a few countries, hydropower dominates the generation mix (Fig. 1a ).

What role does hydropower play in West Africa's national energy strategies?

Hydropower’s established role and the diversification towards other renewables are both reflected in West African national energy strategies 32.

What is the priority of renewable resources in West Africa?

a, b, Prioritization of renewable resources in West Africa as suggested by countries’ current policy ( a) and the power pool scenario ( b ). Prioritization under current policy is defined by which resources would account for more than 90% of a country’s planned RE generation by 2030 (Fig. 1b ).

Are hydro-solar–wind synergies important for West Africa's renewable potential?

We show that pooling regional resources and planning transmission grid expansion according to spatiotemporal hydro–solar–wind synergies are crucial for optimally exploiting West Africa’s renewable potential.