Africa

Dam-induced impoundment of water in hydropower reservoirs usually causes enlarged water surfaces compared to the waterbody extent prior to dam construction (with the exception of reservoirs constrained by geomorphologic features, i.e. canyons). The annual gross water loss from reservoirs is determined by the reservoir surface area, annual evaporation and a shared use allocation factor in the case of multi-purpose reservoirs. Consequently, an enlarged reservoir surface area leads to a significant increase of water losses, depending on location’s climate regime and shared uses of reservoir water. This map shows the location and yearly gross water loss (mcm/year) from hydropower reservoirs in Africa, as of 2016. Water losses from waterbody surfaces prior to dam construction are not considered in the estimates.

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.

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.

Dam-induced impoundment of water in hydropower reservoirs usually causes enlarged water surfaces compared to the waterbody extent prior to dam construction (with the exception of reservoirs constrained by geomorphologic features, i.e. canyons). The annual gross water loss from reservoirs is determined by the reservoir surface area, annual evaporation and a shared use allocation factor in the case of multi-purpose reservoirs. Consequently, an enlarged reservoir surface area leads to a significant increase of water losses, depending on location’s climate regime and shared uses of reservoir water. This map shows the country-aggregated yearly gross water loss (mcm/year) from hydropower reservoirs in Africa, as of 2016. Water losses from waterbody surfaces prior to dam construction are not considered in the estimates.

Higher energy demands in Africa has led to a wide expansion of the number of hydropower sites, mainly between the 1960s and 980s. The construction of dams causes impoundments of rivers and reservoirs in the region of dam influence with higher evaporation and water temperatures due to increased water surfaces. This map shows the aggregated surfaces (sqkm) of reservoirs subject to hydropower production per country, as of 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.

In 2016, a total of 42 billion cubic meters of water was lost through evaporation in hydropower reservoirs in Africa. A huge amount compared to the 1.2 billion cubic meters lost from all the other fuel types combined. In the same period, hydropower accounted for 15% of Africa’s total energy production. The ratio of annual water loss (from a hydropower reservoir) versus energy production (of the associated hydropower plant) describes somehow the water efficiency of a hydropower site. The ratio varies from region to region and depend on the reservoir’s surface area and evaporation rate, and on the produced energy of the associated hydropower plant. A better performance (lower ratios, i.e. ratios below 1) in terms of reduced water losses through evaporation per produced energy unit can be achieved at hydropower sites characterized by decreased reservoir surfaces and increased energy production. In contrast, unfavourable, higher ratios occur with water losses higher than the associated hydropower energy production rates. This map shows the water loss / energy production ratio (mcm/GWh) for each hydropower generating country in Africa (country's total water loss versus country's total annual energy production of hydropower plants) for year 2016.

In the last decade, the global and African economies have been marked by a high volatility in the prices of diesel. Higher diesel prices impact not only the electricity generation costs but also the prices of all other goods that rely on diesel as an intermediate input. Food –on which poor people in low-income developing countries spend a disproportionately high share of their total household expenditures– is the most significantly impacted. This layer shows the national retail diesel prices [US $ cents /litre] in African countries in a context of high fuel prices. The 2012 prices were selected to represent high diesel prices. The 2012 layer (high fuel prices) can be compared with the 2016 layer (low fuel prices - https://africa-knowledge-platform.ec.europa.eu/dataset/dieselpid16), not only in terms of the actual retail prices, but also taking account of per capita incomes and truck revenues, also in terms of affordability.

In the last decade, the global and African economies have been marked by a high volatility in the prices of diesel. Higher diesel prices impact not only the electricity generation costs but also the prices of all other goods that rely on diesel as an intermediate input. Food –on which poor people in low-income developing countries spend a disproportionately high share of their total household expenditures– is the most significantly impacted. This layer shows the national retail diesel prices [US $ cents /litre] in African countries in a context of low fuel prices. The February 2016 prices were selected to represent low diesel prices. During this time, one of the lowest price levels in the decade was registered, when the price of Brent fell to around US$29 per barrel. The 2016 layer (low fuel prices) can be compared with the 2012 layer (high fuel prices - https://africa-knowledge-platform.ec.europa.eu/dataset/dieselpid12), not only in terms of the actual retail prices, but also taking account of per capita incomes and truck revenues, also in terms of affordability.

Started in 2015, the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) initiative supports Sub-Saharan cities in their fight against climate change and in their efforts in ensuring access to clean energy. CoM SSA is part of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) – the largest coalition of cities committed to local climate and energy action. Under the CoM SSA, local authorities make a voluntary political commitment to implement climate and energy actions in their communities. This layer shows the location and year of signature of signatory cities and municipalities of the CoM SSA.

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.