Recent research has found that the DRC has sufficient wind and solar potential to not only replace but also surpass energy supplied by the country’s proposed Inga 3 hydroelectric dam.
According to a study by International Rivers, in which analysts from the University of California’s Energy and Resources Group modelled the Central African nation’s best wind and solar sites, the country potentially has 15 GW of wind and 70 GW of solar PV power within 25 km of existing and planned transmission lines.
In comparison, the Inga 3 dam has a peak generating capacity of 4.8 GW, while the entire Grand Inga scheme still falls short at 40 GW.
Power produced through wind and solar would also be more cost-effective, with more than 50 GW of solar PV capacity at less than US$0.07 per kWh, and up to 5 GW of wind power capacity at under US$0.08 per kWh.
