Hydropower and the Era of Climate Change and Carbon Financing: The Case From Sub-Saharan Africa

Hydropower is an important renewable energy resource worldwide. Well-planned hydropower projects can contribute to supply of sustainable energy. The chapter basically reviews the world energy scenario and how hydropower fits in as the solution to the global sustainable energy challenge. Issues of hydropower resource availability, technology, environment, and climate change are also discussed. Hydropower is sensitive to the state of environment and climate change. With global climate change, though globally the potential is stated to slightly increase, some countries will experience a decrease in potential with increased risks. Adaptation measures are required to sustainably generate hydropower. The study further suggests the need for proper regulatory and legal frameworks to ensure sustainability of such renewable energy technology facilities, and the need for private-public partnership as a means of financing the construction and operation of such future renewable energy technology plants.