The JRC and the Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (ECREE) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration at the occasion of the Vienna Energy Forum, organised by the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). This cooperation framework will facilitate the development of common tools (e.g. country specific maps with renewable energy based electricity costs), validation of results and publication. In addition, it will be expand the network between the JRC and regional partners for African-related research activities in the field of renewable energies and energy efficiency.
Also in the framework of this event, the JRC has launched its second report devoted to renewable energies in Africa: The availability of renewable energies in a changing Africa focuses on expected climatic, demographic and technological changes and how these will impact the renewable energy production and deployment opportunities in the continent for the next decades.
The analysis shows, for instance, that wind patterns are not foreseen to change in the mid-term and that continental hydropower will not be significantly altered.
The ongoing, consistent cost decrease in solar power generation is expected to more than compensate for a possible, slight efficiency decrease caused by the forecasted temperature rise, as changes in ambient temperature can have a small influence on the efficiency of PV systems.
Excessive exploitation of fuel wood resources in combination with climate effects could accelerate the depletion of the biomass stock. Sustainability remains therefore crucial for the African bioenergy potential.
