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Abstract:
Freshwater - a fragile resource - is essential for life, development, and the environment. The Senegal River is a strategic region for the socio-economic development of these countries. The Senegal River's water management in time and space is possible thanks to the existing and future hydropower reservoirs. Hydropower is the world's largest and most widely used renewable energy source. In the future, hydropower is expected to be profoundly impacted due to the changes in river flow caused by climate change. This study examined the impact of climate change on the hydropower potential in the Senegal River basin for the periods P2 (2035-2065) and P3 (2065-2095) compared to P1 (1984-2014) under ssp 126 and ssp 370. We found that for P2, compared to P1, an increase of 6% in the annual flow would lead to an increase of 3% in annual hydropower generation for the ssp 126. A decrease of -1% in annual flow would reduce -0.7% in annual hydropower generation for the ssp 370. For P3 compared to P1, a reduction of annual flow by -6% and -13% would cause a decrease of -8% and -14% in annual hydropower, respectively, for ssp 126 and ssp 370. The planned reservoirs would increase the surface water storage, but it would cause a loss of -11% of the hydropower of the existing reservoir. Therefore, it is crucial to develop new adaptation techniques by combining hydro, solar and wind energy to mitigate the effects of climate change.
