Assessment of renewable energy resources and the use of hydro power for fluctuation compensation in Cameroon

Cameroon is a Sub-Saharan African country, situated in central Africa, located at latitude 6°00 N and longitude 12°00 E, it is crossed by the 10th parallel north of the equatorial plane. The current electricity production is based only on hydro power and more than 95% of the whole electricity production comes from hydroelectricity. There are three separate grids and the transmission grids are completely isolated from one to another and no exchange of available surpluses can be made between the grids. This paper explores the potential of solar and wind energy and how hydro power can contribute for power fluctuation compensation as a key for economical success and better development in Cameroon and in the central African region. Despite great potential, development in the energy sector has been limited and in the country there are permanent energy shortages of electricity supply. A viable and alternative solution can be taking into account the specificities of each region and see which type of renewable resources are available and how the combination of different type of renewable resources can be made in the most appropriate way for energy supply. Work on reliability and cost-effective measurements to determine the potential, the fluctuation rate and the balancing effects of the different sources. In most equatorial African countries, it is difficult to satisfy power demand all year long by hydro sources alone. In some remote areas, where this is the case, a judicious combination with other renewable sources to form a hybrid system can help solve rural electrification problems.