Designing diversified renewable energy systems to balance multisector performance

Jose M. Gonzalez, James E. Tomlinson, Eduardo A. Martínez Ceseña, Mohammed Basheer, Emmanuel Obuobie, Philip T. Padi, Salifu Addo, Rasheed Baisie, Mikiyas Etichia, Anthony Hurford, Andrea Bottacin-Busolin, John Matthews, James Dalton, D. Mark Smith, Justin Sheffield, Mathaios Panteli and Julien J. Harou ()
Additional contact information
Jose M. Gonzalez: The University of Manchester
James E. Tomlinson: The University of Manchester
Eduardo A. Martínez Ceseña: The University of Manchester
Mohammed Basheer: The University of Manchester
Emmanuel Obuobie: Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Philip T. Padi: Volta River Authority
Salifu Addo: Energy Commission
Rasheed Baisie: Ghana Grid Company Ltd
Mikiyas Etichia: The University of Manchester
Anthony Hurford: The University of Manchester
Andrea Bottacin-Busolin: The University of Manchester
John Matthews: Alliance for Global Water Adaptation
James Dalton: International Union for the Conservation of Nature
D. Mark Smith: International Water Management Institute
Justin Sheffield: University of Southampton
Mathaios Panteli: The University of Manchester
Julien J. Harou: The University of Manchester

Nature Sustainability, 2023, vol. 6, issue 4, 415-427

Abstract: Abstract Renewable energy system development and improved operation can mitigate climate change. In many regions, hydropower is called to counterbalance the temporal variability of intermittent renewables like solar and wind. However, using hydropower to integrate these renewables can affect aquatic ecosystems and increase cross-sectoral water conflicts. We develop and apply an artificial intelligence-assisted multisector design framework in Ghana, which shows how hydropower’s flexibility alone could enable expanding intermittent renewables by 38% but would increase sub-daily Volta River flow variability by up to 22 times compared to historical baseload hydropower operations. This would damage river ecosystems and reduce agricultural sector revenues by US$169 million per year. A diversified investment strategy identified using the proposed framework, including intermittent renewables, bioenergy, transmission lines and strategic hydropower re-operation could reduce sub-daily flow variability and enhance agricultural performance while meeting future national energy service goals and reducing CO2 emissions. The tool supports national climate planning instruments such as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by steering towards diversified and efficient power systems and highlighting their sectoral and emission trade-offs and synergies.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-022-01033-0

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