Offshore wind energy is rapidly becoming a technology that developing countries could consider because project costs have recently fallen substantially. Further reductions are expected as the industry matures. For most African coastal states, specific information about their offshore wind potential is not available. This study aims to address this shortcoming by evaluating the technical offshore wind potential of the entire continent using spatially explicit models and long-term satellite data. Two different scenarios were developed to reflect different levels of technological maturity in the wind industry: The shallow-water, near-coast scenario 1 represented the conservative assumption that technology will not improve beyond what is available already now. The deep-water, full-exclusive economic zone (EEZ) scenario 2 assumes the operational availability of floating platforms that would allow it to access wind resources at much deeper water depths across the entire EEZ. It is emphasized that the model results are subject to a number of uncertainties and therefore should be treated as first order estimates only. Both scenarios indicate very good technical offshore wind energy potential for one third of the African coastal states, with Mozambique, South Africa, Somalia, Madagascar and Morocco exhibiting particularly good resources. More than 90% of the offshore wind resources are concentrated in coastal zones associated to three African Power Pools. These are the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), the Eastern African Power Pool (EAPP), and the Comité Maghrébin de l'Electricité (COMELEC). A joint and integrated development within these power pools could offer a promising approach to utilising offshore wind energy in Africa.
Diane (2018) Coincident beach surveys using UAS, vehicle mounted and airborne laser scanner: point cloud inter-comparison and effects of surface type heterogeneity on elevation accuracies. Remote Sensing of Environment 208C , pp. 15-26.
Drylands are home to more than two billion people and are characterised by frequent, severe droughts. Such extreme events are expected to be exacerbated in the near future by climate change. A potentially simple and cost-effective mitigation measure against drought periods is sand dams. This little-known technology aims to promote subsoil rainwater storage to support dryland agroecosystems. To date, there is little long-term empirical analysis that tests the effectiveness of this approach during droughts. This study addresses this shortcoming by utilising multi-year satellite imagery to monitor the effect of droughts at sand dam locations. A time series of satellite images was analysed to compare vegetation at sand dam sites and control sites over selected periods of drought, using the normalised difference vegetation index. The results show that vegetation biomass was consistently and significantly higher at sand dam sites during periods of extended droughts. It is also shown that vegetation at sand dam sites recovers more quickly from drought. The observed findings corroborate modelling-based research which identified related impacts on ground water, land cover, and socio-economic indicators. Using past periods of drought as an analogue to future climate change conditions, this study indicates that sand dams have potential to increase adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change in drylands. It therefore can be concluded that sand dams enhance the resilience of marginal environments and increase the adaptive capacity of drylands. Sand dams can therefore be a promising adaptation response to the impacts of future climate change on drylands.
S. (2019) Renewable energy from the high seas: geo-spatial modelling of resource potential and legal implications for developing offshore wind projects beyond the national jurisdiction of coastal states. Energy Policy 128 , pp. 919-929.
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