Next-Generation Climate-Resilient Spatial Electrification Planning under Uncertainty: Advancing OnSSET through High-Resolution Data, Field Validation and Multi-Scale Decision Support for Senegal and West Africa

The RESPHERE project aims to develop an advanced methodology for electrification planning in Senegal and, more broadly, West Africa, making energy decisions more robust to uncertainties related to demand, technology costs, resource availability, and climate change. Specifically, the project intends to evolve the current, predominantly deterministic, OnSSET approach by integrating probabilistic analyses, climate resilience assessment, high-resolution geospatial data, and experimental and field validation. The goal is to provide not only the lowest-cost electrification solution, but also information on its reliability and stability under alternative future scenarios. RESPHERE also includes dual validation: first through the University of Brescia's eLUX experimental infrastructure, and second through operational data collected in Senegal in collaboration with ESP/UCAD. The end result will be an open and transferable framework, useful to governments, utilities, and regional bodies to support more transparent, resilient, and evidence-based investment decisions.