Assessment of renewable energy resources in cameroon and special regards on energy supply

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. Solar and wind energy potential can be the key for economical success and better development in Cameroon and the whole central African region. According to Solargis database, Meteonorm Software, RETScreen International, NASA (surface meteorological and solar energy), SWERA (Solar and Wind Energy Assessment) and NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), the solar radiation average across the country is 4.9 kWh/ m2/day and the wind speed average across the country is 6 m/s. The exact sizes of the different renewable energy sources, their benefits and the market potential that can stimulate their uptake are not well-known. There is no reliable information about the potential of renewable energy resources in Cameroon and free available information is very rough. Cameroon like most developing countries does not have a reliable network of surface observation stations for collecting weather data. 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 of renewable resources in Cameroon for energy supply. A photovoltaic cell instead of a pyranometer can be employed because of it cost competiveness and the errors will be corrected. The collected data can be a good base for decentralization of the electrical production base choice of microgrids with the main objectives to make the different regions be autonomous.