Solar energy plays an increasing role in Africa to meet the Paris Agreement. But, a massive deployment of variable renewable energy creates a new form of vulnerability associated with unsecured supply.
Thus, a sustainable energy transition is not only a question of the amount of infrastructure or installed power capacity ; it is about empowering the whole energy value-chain, from decision-makers to beneficiaries, to plan the resource and manage the infrastructure in an optimal way.

NETWAT will develop solutions to ensure sustainable solar production in West Africa without compromising the sustainability of the water resource. Indeed, the energy sector clearly identified that dust is a key but often “neglected” issue. Dust, by its effect on the solar irradiance and by its deposit on the panels, leads to a reduction in energy output and decreases the efficiency of the solar infrastructure.

With mineral dust as the driving force behind our inter and transdisciplinary approach, NETWAT will develop solutions to ensure an optimized photovoltaic (PV) production in West Africa without compromising the sustainability of the water resource management in the region.

– NETWAT will improve the understanding of the West African dust cycle and its direct/indirect effects on solar resource and production.

– NETWAT will develop an innovative PV production forecasting chain and build reliable and efficient decision-making tools to optimize power grid management and solar production.

– Finally, NETWAT will evaluate the water footprint of solar farms and will provide sustainable maintenance plan based on dust dynamics.

Updated on 27 janvier 2023