A geospatial approach towards defining cost-optimal electrification pathways in West Africa

Abstract

West Africa holds some of the lowest electrification rates in sub-Saharan Africa with high disparities among countries and between urban and rural areas. Despite long-standing efforts to scale-up electrification levels, overall progress remains slow and highly cost-ineffective. Hence, it is crucial that electricity planning processes primarily address the questions of the complementarity between utility-scale and decentralised generation. This paper applies the Open Source Spatial Electrification Tool (OnSSET) to two ECOWAS countries - Burkina Faso and Cote d ' Ivoire - with the aim of determining the optimal combination of grid-connected and off-grid systems to serve rural and urban demand by 2030, using high-resolution geospatial data. This country-wide analysis highlights the fundamental role of off-grid solar photovoltaics and wind technologies in bridging the electricity access gap, particularly in Burkina Faso. Additionally, cheaper electricity costs in Cote d ' Ivoire could be taken advantage of through enhanced cross-border exchanges between the two countries.