Climate Change and Hydropower Challenges In Southern Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to address climate change impacts that challenge hydropower production and distribution in southern Africa. Change in temperature and precipitations due to climate change will affect rivers catchments runoff as well as hydropower dams and transmission lines in southern Africa. Evidences of these changes are being experienced on hydropower line failure in a few parts of the sub region. Since hydropower constitutes a clean and reliable energy, Africa has an imperious obligation to maximize its production and distribution in order to satisfy the increasing demand, and therefore meet the millennium development goals. Data and information from previous works undertaken on this topic have been compiled. Analysis and discussion of available information have been carried out through environmental perspective and scientific knowledge underpinning climate change and its impacts on the global geosphere and biosphere. Although increase in precipitations could be profitable to hydropower by more running water availability, extreme events including flood, siltration and strong winds, coupled with flashover (effect due to high concentration of air pollutants in ambient air), could raise the probability to see hydropower system being dramatically affected. The lowering of catchment capacity due to a large amount of sediments accumulation and the decline in energy generation by lack of sufficient water runoff are foreseeable problems. Thus a quick move towards adaptation measures as well as their effective implementation would constitute a significant benchmark for the maximization of hydropower generation capacity and consequently satisfying the ever growing energy demand for sustainable economic development in southern Africa.