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.

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.

• Cooling Absorption System;
• Refrigeration Absorption System;
• Binary ORC Power Plant;
• Flash Power Plant;
• Heat for Direct Use;
• Heat for High Temperature Heat Pump;

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario, modelling a better fluid flow;
• up up side, modelling both better fluid flow and higher underground temperatures.

• Binary ORC Power Plant;
• Flash Power Plant;

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario, modelling a better fluid flow;
• up up side, modelling both better fluid flow and higher underground temperatures.

Higher energy demands in Africa has led to a wide expansion of the number of hydropower sites, mainly between the 1960s and 1980s. The construction of dams causes impoundments of rivers and reservoirs in the regions of dam influence, with higher evaporation and water temperatures due to increased water surfaces. This map shows the he surface area (sqkm) of African reservoirs subject to hydropower production for the year 2016. It includes reservoirs of associated hydropower plants with installed capacities above 5MW. Apart from this, only reservoirs with a detected dam-caused impoundment of water surface are considered.

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario;
• up up side scenario.

African countries have an evident potential for solar energy. Knowing what amount of solar radiation reaches the earth's surface is of particular interest for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. It can be represented by the average annual potential energy production (or yield): the total amount of electricity (kWh) produced in one year by a 1 kWp PV system at optimal angle, expressed in kWh/kWp.

This dataset provides the P50 projections for a geothermal system utilizing a Chiller unit.

Chiller refers to an absorption chiller or heat pump integrated into the geothermal system. It is used to provide cooling (by utilizing the geothermal heat) or to extract additional heat from the return fluid, thereby increasing the system's overall thermal harvest.

P50 is a statistical term used in risk analysis and forecasting. P50 represents the median scenario, meaning there is a 50% probability that the actual outcome will be higher than this value and a 50% probability it will be lower. It serves as the baseline "best estimate."

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) [-]: A measure of efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required to operate the Chiller. Higher values indicate greater efficiency.

• Doublet Net Production [MW]: The actual useful power output (Megawatts) generated by the "doublet" (one production well + one injection well), subtracting any energy used by pumps or auxiliary equipment.

• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) [US$ct/kWh]: The average revenue per unit of energy needed to recover the cost of building and operating the plant over its entire life cycle. It essentially represents the break-even price.

• Net Present Value (NPV) [million US$]: The current financial value of all future cash flows the project will generate, minus the initial investment costs. A positive NPV generally indicates a profitable project.

• Optimized Depth of the Aquifer [m]: The calculated ideal drilling depth (meters) to reach the geothermal reservoir that balances drilling costs with temperature/flow benefits.

• Pressure needed to drive pumps [Bar]: The total pressure difference required to drive the thermal loop through the reservoir and wellbore.

• Production Flow Rate [m³/h]: The volume of geothermal fluid extracted from the reservoir per hour (cubic meters per hour).

• Temperature at Reservoir [°C]: The natural temperature (Celsius) of the geothermal fluid within the subsurface rock formation before it is brought to the surface.

• Transmissivity [Dm]: A measure of how easily fluid flows through the porous aquifer. It is the product of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness (often measured in Darcy-meters). High transmissivity means easier extraction.

• Well Distance [m]: The physical distance (meters) between the production well (extraction) and the injection well (return). Proper spacing prevents "short-circuiting," where cool injected water lowers the temperature of the production well too quickly.

This dataset provides the P50 projections for a Direct Heat with Heat Pump geothermal system.

Direct Heat with Heat Pump refers to a scenario where a geothermal system is integrated with an industrial heat pump to upgrade low-grade heat. This allows for production from geothermal temperatures as low as 40°C, which are then heated by the pump to a delivery temperature of 80°C. The reinjection temperature is set to the production temperature minus 20°C, with a absolute minimum of 15°C.

P50 is a statistical term used in risk analysis and forecasting. P50 represents the median scenario, meaning there is a 50% probability that the actual outcome will be higher than this value and a 50% probability it will be lower. It serves as the baseline ""best estimate.""

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) [-]: A measure of efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required to operate the Chiller. Higher values indicate greater efficiency.

• Doublet Net Production [MW]: The actual useful power output (Megawatts) generated by the ""doublet"" (one production well + one injection well), subtracting any energy used by pumps or auxiliary equipment.

• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) [US$ct/kWh]: The average revenue per unit of energy needed to recover the cost of building and operating the plant over its entire life cycle. It essentially represents the break-even price.

• Net Present Value (NPV) [million US$]: The current financial value of all future cash flows the project will generate, minus the initial investment costs. A positive NPV generally indicates a profitable project.

• Optimized Depth of the Aquifer [m]: The calculated ideal drilling depth (meters) to reach the geothermal reservoir that balances drilling costs with temperature/flow benefits.

• Pressure needed to drive pumps [Bar]: The total pressure difference required to drive the thermal loop through the reservoir and wellbore.

• Production Flow Rate [m³/h]: The volume of geothermal fluid extracted from the reservoir per hour (cubic meters per hour).

• Temperature at Reservoir [°C]: The natural temperature (Celsius) of the geothermal fluid within the subsurface rock formation before it is brought to the surface.

• Transmissivity [Dm]: A measure of how easily fluid flows through the porous aquifer. It is the product of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness (often measured in Darcy-meters). High transmissivity means easier extraction.

• Well Distance [m]: The physical distance (meters) between the production well (extraction) and the injection well (return). Proper spacing prevents ""short-circuiting,"" where cool injected water lowers the temperature of the production well too quickly.

This dataset provides the P50 projections for a Direct Heat geothermal system.

Direct Heat refers to the use of geothermal energy for applications such as space heating, industrial processes, or agriculture. In the utilized model, it is assumed a minimum production temperature of at least 60°C and a reinjection temperature of 40°C.

P50 is a statistical term used in risk analysis and forecasting. P50 represents the median scenario, meaning there is a 50% probability that the actual outcome will be higher than this value and a 50% probability it will be lower. It serves as the baseline "best estimate."

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) [-]: A measure of efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required to operate the Chiller. Higher values indicate greater efficiency.

• Doublet Net Production [MW]: The actual useful power output (Megawatts) generated by the ""doublet"" (one production well + one injection well), subtracting any energy used by pumps or auxiliary equipment.

• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) [US$ct/kWh]: The average revenue per unit of energy needed to recover the cost of building and operating the plant over its entire life cycle. It essentially represents the break-even price.

• Net Present Value (NPV) [million US$]: The current financial value of all future cash flows the project will generate, minus the initial investment costs. A positive NPV generally indicates a profitable project.

• Optimized Depth of the Aquifer [m]: The calculated ideal drilling depth (meters) to reach the geothermal reservoir that balances drilling costs with temperature/flow benefits.

• Pressure needed to drive pumps [Bar]: The total pressure difference required to drive the thermal loop through the reservoir and wellbore.

• Production Flow Rate [m³/h]: The volume of geothermal fluid extracted from the reservoir per hour (cubic meters per hour).

• Temperature at Reservoir [°C]: The natural temperature (Celsius) of the geothermal fluid within the subsurface rock formation before it is brought to the surface.

• Transmissivity [Dm]: A measure of how easily fluid flows through the porous aquifer. It is the product of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness (often measured in Darcy-meters). High transmissivity means easier extraction.

• Well Distance [m]: The physical distance (meters) between the production well (extraction) and the injection well (return). Proper spacing prevents ""short-circuiting,"" where cool injected water lowers the temperature of the production well too quickly.

This dataset provides the P50 projections for an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) geothermal power plant.

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) refers to a binary power plant configuration where geothermal fluid (brine) is used to heat a secondary organic working fluid. This process allows for efficient electricity generation from medium-to-low temperature resources (typically 90°C to 150°C). The organic fluid vaporizes, drives a turbine, and is then condensed back into a liquid to repeat the cycle. The geothermal brine is reinjected into the reservoir after passing through the heat exchanger.

P50 is a statistical term used in risk analysis and forecasting. P50 represents the median scenario, meaning there is a 50% probability that the actual outcome will be higher than this value and a 50% probability it will be lower. It serves as the baseline ""best estimate.""

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) [-]: A measure of efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required to operate the Chiller. Higher values indicate greater efficiency.

• Doublet Net Production [MW]: The actual useful power output (Megawatts) generated by the ""doublet"" (one production well + one injection well), subtracting any energy used by pumps or auxiliary equipment.

• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) [US$ct/kWh]: The average revenue per unit of energy needed to recover the cost of building and operating the plant over its entire life cycle. It essentially represents the break-even price.

• Net Present Value (NPV) [million US$]: The current financial value of all future cash flows the project will generate, minus the initial investment costs. A positive NPV generally indicates a profitable project.

• Optimized Depth of the Aquifer [m]: The calculated ideal drilling depth (meters) to reach the geothermal reservoir that balances drilling costs with temperature/flow benefits.

• Pressure needed to drive pumps [Bar]: The total pressure difference required to drive the thermal loop through the reservoir and wellbore.

• Production Flow Rate [m³/h]: The volume of geothermal fluid extracted from the reservoir per hour (cubic meters per hour).

• Temperature at Reservoir [°C]: The natural temperature (Celsius) of the geothermal fluid within the subsurface rock formation before it is brought to the surface.

• Transmissivity [Dm]: A measure of how easily fluid flows through the porous aquifer. It is the product of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness (often measured in Darcy-meters). High transmissivity means easier extraction.

• Well Distance [m]: The physical distance (meters) between the production well (extraction) and the injection well (return). Proper spacing prevents ""short-circuiting,"" where cool injected water lowers the temperature of the production well too quickly.

Increasing water scarcity and water quality issues are serious constraints, especially for Northern Africa. A comprehensive assessment of spatial and temporal precipitation frequency is the initial step for defining public policies relating to water resources management and environmental monitoring. In the agricultural sector, a detailed knowledge of precipitation patterns is necessary to identify the most appropriate crop varieties for the region and to effectively manage climate related uncertainties. Precipitation frequency is also a central source of information for hazard mitigation and management. This layer represents the average variability of precipitation (L-CV) around the annual mean value for the period 1981-2017. The larger the L-CV, the more variable the annual precipitation is from year to year.

Increasing water scarcity and water quality issues are serious constraints, especially for Northern Africa. A comprehensive assessment of spatial and temporal precipitation frequency is the initial step for defining public policies relating to water resources management and environmental monitoring. In the agricultural sector, a detailed knowledge of precipitation patterns is necessary to identify the most appropriate crop varieties for the region and to effectively manage climate related uncertainties. Precipitation frequency is also a central source of information for hazard mitigation and management. This layer shows the average annual precipitation (mm/year) for the period 1981-2017 across the continent.

Percentage of children 24-35 months who had received all age appropriate vaccinations. The lower the number of vaccinated children, the more beneficial decentralised renewable energy solutions may be in providing electricity to store vaccines in proper refrigerators.

Humans need increasingly more biomass for food, fodder, fibre and energy. Meeting these demands changes global ecosystems. Tracking changes in total biomass production or land productivity is an essential part of monitoring land transformations that are typically associated with land degradation. Land productivity dynamics (LPD) are used as an indicator of change or stability of the land’s capacity to sustain primary production. This layer displays the areas of concern for land productivity related issues, derived from the convergence of global evidence of human-environment interactions that can have consequences on land degradation.

Percentage of schools in Africa reporting to have no electricity. The lower the education facilities with access to electricity the greater the potential for decentralised renewable energies to improve electricity access in these facilities and thus educational outcomes.

Percentage of women who worked in the 12 months preceding the survey and are working currently. A lower score reflects weaker female emancipation within the labour market, and thus a higher potential impact of electricity access for improving women empowerment.

Food crisis response planning can save lives if put in place in a timely manner. To do this, decision makers must be warned of climate extreme events impacting agricultural production. The Anomaly hotSpot of Agricultural Production tool (ASAP) is an online decision support system for early warning about hotspots of agricultural production anomaly (crop and rangeland), developed by the JRC for food security crises prevention and response planning anticipation. This map shows the frequency at which countries were classified as hotspots for agricultural production problems between 2004 and 2018. Hotspots are identified on a monthly basis.

Percentage of healthcare facilities with electricity access in selected countries. Information on electricity access for healthcare facilities has been collected in the electricity access health facility database (EHFDB). The lower the healthcare facilities with access to electricity the greater the potential for decentralised renewable energies to improve electricity access in these facilities and thus healthcare outcomes.

Humans need increasingly more biomass for food, fodder, fiber and energy. In Africa, circa 22% of the vegetated land surface showed a decline or unstable land productivity between 1999 and 2013. Persistent reduction of land productivity points to long-term alteration of the health and productive capacity of the land, which are characteristic of land degradation. It has impact on ecosystem services and benefits, thus on the sustainable livelihoods of human communities. This map shows the dynamics of (vegetated) land productivity over a time period, in other terms the trajectories of above-ground biomass. It reflects changes in ecosystem functioning e.g. vegetation growth cycles due to natural variation and/or human intervention, and can be associated with processes of land degradation or recovery. The 5 classes depict two levels of persistent productivity decline, one level of instability or stress in capacity, one level of stable productivity and one level of increased productivity.

Percentage of women who are literate. This indicator highlights the importance of electricity for women, who spend the majority of their time taking care of the households. Electricity can ease girls and young women from houdeholds duties and allow them to attend schools. Thus, the lower the number of households with access to electricity the greater the potential for decentralised renewable energies to improve literacy levels among women.

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. Literacy statistics for most countries cover the population ages 15 and older, but some include younger ages or are confined to age ranges that tend to inflate literacy rates. The youth literacy rate for ages 15-24 reflects recent progress in education. It measures the accumulated outcomes of primary education over the previous 10 years or so by indicating the proportion of the population who have passed through the primary education system and acquired basic literacy and numeracy skills.

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.

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.

Carbon storage in biomass (biological material) is a key link in the global carbon cycle, and consequently for climate change mitigation. Forests in particular are an important carbon sink that help reduce the greenhouse effect. Together, the above-ground carbon (carbon fraction contained in the stems, barks, branches and twigs of living trees), the belowground biomass carbon (carbon fraction contained in roots of living trees) and the soil organic carbon (amount of carbon stored in the soil) provide a complete overview of the total carbon stored in forest areas (trees and soil). This map shows the total carbon stored expressed in units of dry mass (Mg) per ground area unit (km2).

The global capture fisheries has increased over the last 50 years as the consumption of seafood has doubled.This has increased pressure on fish stocks across the world. According to the State of World Fishery and Aquaculture 2020(FAO), the global capture fisheries production rose 14% from 1990 to 2018 and in 2018 it reached 96.4million tonnes. Here we show how much wild fish African countries caught in their EEZ in the last ten years (tonnes). In the attribute table you can find how much of the threatened marine fish species had be legally caught

Percentage of undernourished people. The higher the incidence of undernourished people the more beneficial decentralised renewable energy solutions may be, in terms of improving both cooking facilities within households and agricultural productivity with positive impacts on nutrition. Thus electricity can be used to make agricultural practices more efficient and refrigerate food produce to store for longer.

Prevalence of underweight (weight-for-age <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age. Survey estimates are based on standardized methodology using the WHO Child Growth Standards. Global and regional estimates are based on methodology outlined in UNICEF-WHO-The World Bank: Joint child malnutrition estimates - Levels and trends (UNICEF/WHO/WB 2012).

This dataset provides a continent-wide, raster-based spatial representation of Earth's surface heat flow across the African tectonic plate for the year 2013, modeled under a historical baseline scenario. The data quantifies the amount of thermal energy moving from the Earth's interior to its surface, with values explicitly expressed in watts per square meter (W/m²). This resource is critical for identifying geothermal potential, understanding tectonic anomalies, and supporting broader geoscientific and energy research.

This layer is part of the Geothermal Atlas for Africa developed within the LEAP-RE project

• Cooling Absorption System;
• Refrigeration Absorption System;

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario, modelling a better fluid flow;
• up up side, modelling both better fluid flow and higher underground temperatures.

• Direct Use;
• High Temperature Heat Pump;

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario, modelling a better fluid flow;
• up up side, modelling both better fluid flow and higher underground temperatures.