Southern Africa’s Renewable Energy Scenarios
The recent analysis conducted across twelve Southern African nations sheds light on the potential of renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and hydropower. Utilizing the Multi-criteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE) modeling framework, the study identified promising sites for wind and solar PV development. Incorporating an array of factors like the hourly capacity factor and cost estimation for these projects, the study has determined cost-optimal electricity infrastructure investments using the GridPath power systems planning model.
Furthermore, the study also screened existing and planned hydropower projects based on various environmental and social scenarios. It also estimated energy availability for each hydropower project using a hydrological model. The GridPath-SAPP model was leveraged to optimize investments in new system infrastructure to meet the hourly…
