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This dataset shows the African power plants by energy generation type. It includes thermal plants (coal, gas, oil, nuclear, biomass, waste, geothermal) and renewables (hydro, wind, solar). Each power plant is geolocated and entries contain information on plant capacity and generation type.
The hydropower installed capacity indicates the amount of energy a hydropower plant can produce in its turbines. In 2016, hydropower accounted for 54% of the installed capacity in Eastern Africa, 58% in Central Africa and 30% in Western Africa with fourteen countries having a hydropower share above 50% and eight countries above 70%. These highly hydropower-dependent countries are particularly prone to electricity cuts due to the lack of water caused by severe droughts. This map shows the location and installed capacities of hydropower plants above 5MW installed capacity in Africa for year 2016, representing 95% of the total hydropower installed capacity in Africa.
This dataset shows the African power plants and their installed capacity in MegaWatt (MW). It includes thermal plants (coal, gas, oil, nuclear, biomass, waste, geothermal) and renewables (hydro, wind, solar). Each power plant is geolocated and entries contain information on plant capacity and generation.
Despite a high total population, most parts of the African continent are sparsely populated, with almost 60% living in non-urban areas. Diesel generators have long been the traditional solution to decentralized electrification needs. For off-grid applications, they present lower up-front capital costs per kilowatt installed; however, the dramatic increase of fuel costs in recent years and the cost of transport to remote areas greatly diminish the low capital cost advantage of the diesel option. Even in the cases when the initial investments were subsidized, the high yearly fuel cost are born by the users which often results in early termination of its use. The map shows the spatial variance of the electricity costs per kWh delivered by an off-grid diesel generator.
This layer maps the distribution of diverse geothermal play types categorized by:
Location: Precise spatial boundaries of geothermal provinces.
Geodynamic Setting: Classification by tectonic regime.
Play Type: Categorization based on heat source and fluid transport mechanisms.
Energy Application: Indication of suitability for power production or direct-use applications.
Many African countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan region highly depend on hydropower which is one of the energy sources that are most affected by droughts. At the same time hydropower has a huge impact on water consumption (mainly through evaporation from reservoir surfaces) in comparison with other fuel types despite having higher densities of plants and installed capacities. Hydropower accounts for 15% of Africa’s energy production. This map shows the energy production (GWh) of hydropower plants with an installed capacity above 5MW, aggregated for each hydropower-generating country in Africa for year 2016.
This map provides a spatially explicit characterization of 47 terrestrial habitat types, as defined in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) habitat classification scheme, which is widely used in ecological analyses, including for quantifying species’ Area of Habitat. The map broadens our understanding of habitats globally, assist in constructing area of habitat refinements, and are relevant for broad-scale ecological studies and future IUCN Red List assessments. Periodic updates are planned as better or more recent data becomes available.
This map provides a spatially explicit characterization of 47 terrestrial habitat types, as defined in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) habitat classification scheme, which is widely used in ecological analyses, including for quantifying species’ Area of Habitat. The map broadens our understanding of habitats globally, assist in constructing area of habitat refinements, and are relevant for broad-scale ecological studies and future IUCN Red List assessments. Periodic updates are planned as better or more recent data becomes available.
The Global Wind Atlas is a free, web-based application developed to help policymakers, planners, and investors identify high-wind areas for wind power generation. It also serves as a useful tool for governments to get a better understanding of their wind resource potential at provincial and local levels. Wind power density is a measure of the wind resources. This map shows the mean wind power density (W/m2) at 10 m heigth. Higher mean wind power densities indicate a better wind resource potential.