Civil Engineering June 2021 | Vol 29 No 5

10 June 2021 Civil Engineering wATER eNG I NEER I NG I t is understandable why various studies have been dedicated to finding appro- priate methods to quantify the hydro- power potential available within existing water infrastructure and rivers. The litera- ture on methodologies to evaluate hydro- power potential within existing water in- frastructure and rivers includes, but is not limited to, studies conducted by Ballance et al., 2000 (run-of-river); Bousquet et al., 2017 (hydropower at wastewater treatment works); Culwick & Bode, 2011 (hydropower at water treatment works); Fitzgerald et al., 2012 (pumped storage); Niebuhr et al., 2019 (hydrokinetic); Samora et al., 2016 (conduit hydropower); Sule et al., 2018 (hydropower at storage schemes). Furthermore, the world’s installed hydropower capacity has nearly doubled in the last 30 years (IHA, 2019; Paish, 2002), indicating the increasing global adoption of hydropower technologies. However, the rate of development of hydropower plants in South Africa is lag- ging due to the uncertainty pertaining to the hydropower potential that exists within South African rivers and water infrastruc- ture. The lack of and limited access to available water infrastructure and river data contributes to the uncertainty regarding the hydropower potential in South Africa. The development of the South African Hydropower Atlas (SAHA), funded by the Water Research Commission, aims to provide a GIS-based platform where the necessary data required for the evaluation of hydropower can be shared. The devel- opment of the atlas also aims to provide an indication of the hydropower potential available from the different types of water infrastructure and rivers in South Africa. This will enable water infrastructure owners and operators to realise the poten- tial available for hydropower development, thereby not only encouraging owners to consider hydropower development, but also collecting necessary data for further Development of the South African Hydropower Atlas The various advantages of hydropower, which include a continuously available supply of energy, make this type of renewable energy a very attractive alternative to fossil fuel powered production. Marco van Dijk Pr Eng Lecturer Department of Civil Engineering University of Pretoria marco.vandijk@up.ac.za Anja Bekker PhD Candidate Department of Civil Engineering University of Pretoria bekkeranja@gmail.com Chantel Niebuhr Lecturer Department of Civil Engineering University of Pretoria chantel.niebuhr@up.ac.za Figure 1 Potential energy generation locations (adapted from Loots et al., 2015) Upper dam Potential hydropower locations Irrigation network 10 9 Diversion structure 11 Small dam Measuring weir 17 9 Drop/ chute Canal 9 2 3 1 4 Lower dam 4 Large dam Transfer scheme Service reservoir 5 15 Coal-fired power station Distribution reservoir Metropolitan city area Mining 7 8 8 8 16 12 6 14 6 13 18 10 10 River Fish passage Irrigation network Waste water treatment works Industry Informal/ Peri-urban area Canal Water treatment works Ocean Desalination plant