Review of the sub-Saharan African small hydropower situation

Abstract

The significance of renewable energy sources, such as generation of viable output from small hydropower (SHP), has been of great concern with several measures being taken to alleviate the serious shortfall of electricity supply in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. SHP can play very important roles in the electrification of rural areas. The potential for SHP is typically found away from the more populous areas and is a very suitable energy source for the purpose of rural electrification. It can be used either as standalone power source or as a hybrid system with other energy sources. Depletion of fossil fuels and inability to meet the rising demand for electricity are among the hindrances to the economic development of sub-Saharan Africa. This paper focuses on SHP situation in sub-Saharan Africa, especially off-the-grid areas where the central grid is inaccessible. There is a need to establish widespread SHP turbines to overcome this situation. This paper draws conclusions on the importance of designing and implementing SHP turbines for sub-Saharan Africa. It also highlights small-scale hydropower as one of the most cost-effective energy technologies to be considered for electrification, and proposes guidelines to help future implementation of this technology in a better way.