An international research team led by China's Chengdu University of Technology has proposed building a huge power grid in 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa as the fastest and most viable solution to reducing chronic energy poverty on the continent.
The researchers used EnergyPLAN simulation software to determine renewable energy generation capacity, economic costs, and power supply strategies to balance projected future electricity demand in Sub-Saharan Africa through 2040 using the proposed grid.
They also used Matlab software to evaluate the possibility of integrating electric vehicles and hydrogen production. "The methods and models proposed in this study can also be used by individual countries, regions or continents to address energy poverty and achieve net-zero emissions." They point out that the study only considers two renewable energy sources, wind and solar, while pumped storage plays a special role in energy storage.
The proposed transmission lines will cover 12 countries, including Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Mozambique and South Africa. The team says they chose these countries along grid lines and could easily scale in the future. "These countries were selected based on their data availability in sub-Saharan Africa, proximity to other countries with sufficient data, land area, and economic conditions," the study explains. ”
The researchers developed six different scenarios for 2030 and 2040. They estimate that the 12 countries will have electricity demand of 2030 TWh/year by 678 and 2040 TWh/year by 760. The average electricity demand is expected to be 77186,<> MW.
Through modelling, they found that 2030,665000 MW of PV power deployed in Nigeria, Sudan, Niger, Mali, Chad, Ethiopia and South Africa, supported by pumped hydro storage, could help significantly reduce energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by <>.
"To meet the additional 2040 TWh/year of electricity demand by 100 (i.e. 800 TWh/year), PV power plants in Nigeria will increase their generation by 2030,42000 MW in 60000, Sudan and Niger by 80000,40000 MW, Mali and Chad by 90000,2040 MW, Ethiopia by 2030,<> MW and South Africa by <>,<> MW," they noted. They added that Chad, Mali and Sudan could be the main players in the future development of CSP power plants due to their huge potential in concentrated solar (CSP) technology. In order to meet the energy demand in <>, the installed capacity of CSP power plants will increase significantly in <>. ”
The researchers found that photovoltaic power generation is the most affordable option in terms of annual investment costs, but the total investment cost of wind power solutions is lower, which makes wind power preferable.
They said that in order to ensure energy security and decarbonize electricity by 2030 or 2040, the use case scenario of 'Hybrid with High Storage' is the most feasible option, that is, the possibility of highly integrating two renewable energy sources. "It is important to note that the renewable energy technologies in this study can be installed centrally or on a small scale in different parts of each country."
The proposed grid project is described in a paper published in Scientific Reports entitled "Simultaneously Tackling Energy Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa and Harnessing the Potential of Renewable Energy". The research team consists of Guangdong Petroleum
It is composed of researchers from the School of Chemical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Cyprus International University, Chrisland University in Nigeria and Sharjah University in the United Arab Emirates.
