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-- a _kt75 | reprint _NEW: explore all _kt75 | publications via the news db... and leave your comments here The ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report, produced collaboratively by REN21 and ECREEE with lead authorship from the Worldwatch Institute, provides a regional perspective on the renewable energy and energy efficiency market and industry development in West Africa. Launched on November 10, 2014, the report concludes that renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies have rapidly become cost effective solutions for overcoming the diverse energy challenges facing the ECOWAS region (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo). "It is clear that the ECOWAS Member States acknowledge the enormous potential that renewables and energy efficiency bring to accelerating energy access and meetin...

-- a _kt75 | reprint Download the Quarterly Notes on Sustainable Water Management - Q04/2013 Famous as the source of the Blue Nile, which flows from Lake Tana in the Ethiopian highlands, this East African country is far less well-known for its promising groundwater potential. But the Ethiopian government is now planning to tap into its largely unexploited groundwater resources, both to sustain a population of over 90 million – many of whom suffer from water shortages - and to alleviate the impacts of climate stresses. The Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE) hopes to increase potable water coverage to 98.5 percent of households nationwide by the end of next year, from 68.5 percent in 2013. And for that it will need new water supplies. Scientists from the British Geological Survey and University College London estimated in a 2012 study on Africa’s underground water reserves that Ethiopia has groundwater storage of 12,700 km³, much less than so...

-- a _kt75 | reprint   Tweet Investment in low carbon technologies fell 11 per cent in 2012, according to a new report by market analysts Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which also shows China has overtaken the US as the world's largest contributor to renewable energy. The report [ 1 ] shows that investment in low carbon technologies is actually holding up pretty well after warnings from the report's authors last January that 2012 would be a "challenging year" for the sector. We took a look at some of the figures to find out how tough economic conditions and investor uncertainty over renewable energy policies in the UK have changed the investment landscape. Overall investment drops The report [ 1 ] shows that overall global investment in low carbon energy dropped by about $30 billion in the space of a year. Comparing investment last year to 2011 may be unfair, as 2011 saw the highest ever rate of investment in the sector. But it is only the second t...

-- a _kt75 | note   Tweet  _download: server 1 Big is beautiful? [1] – The solutions for sustainable water management/alternative energy generation by means of water dams are multifarious and range from very small hydro power projects to largest scale dam solutions. Currently, there seems to be a certain tendency towards the latter option in particular in developing and emerging countries. In this context, the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance dam and the Congolese Grand Inga Dam represent the most known examples of large scale water dams. A widely discussed key question however is: comply such gigantic structures with the idea of sustainable development? What are the implications associated with the construction of such facilities and how efficient (from an economic point of view) are they? Are there any geo-political consequences and in case of what type of are they? In order to address some of the above questions and to provide for a better underst...

-- a note from _kt75 Cameroon, Namibia, Mozambique - _Grade S+ | outlook: positive Nigeria, Mali, Kongo - _Grade D- | outlook: negative A previous screening of water supply management schemes in Africa revealed preferable conditions for Cameroon, Namibia and Mozambique [ 1 ]. All three countries are characterised by well-organised operative structures both in terms of staff/know-how as well as in terms of infrastructure (_Grade S+ | outlook: positive). Especially Namibia, one of the driest countries in the region, has implemented an excellent and robust water management scheme. Of additional benefit for Namibia might the discovery of another voluminous ground water resource close to the border with Angola [ 2 ]-[ 4 ]. It will pose a challenge to as sustainable as possible use this water deposit. Cameroon, assessed to be one of the most stable countries in the region, participates in the 'Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation' which can assist to ma...

-- a note from _kt75 These days Sudan completed the expansion of the Roseiris hydro power plant which aims primarily at an improved power supply and irrigation [ 0 ]- [ 6 ] . The expansion of the hydro power plant included in detail [ 7 ], [ 8 ] : - increasing the dam height by about 10 meters - doubling the power generation capacity to 1'800 MW - increasing the reservoir capacity to ca. 4.4 Bio m3 Further hydro power information are available by consulting _sust invent 0.1 RC 2 ( here ). Primary contractors were Chinese China International Water & Electric Corp. and China Three Gorges Corp. [ 7 ], [ 9 ]. The upgrade of the Roseiris power plant necessitated the relocation of more than 20'000 people. In addition, the plant necessitates particular safety measures due to its location close to South Sudan [ 10 ]. Another issue pose the increased variations in available water volume, sedimentation and discharge [ 11 ].  References: [ 0 ], [ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ...