IMIESA October 2021

Page 33

RENEWABLE ENERGY & ELECTRIFICATION

Wind atlas available for South Africa The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) has completed the third phase of its Wind Atlas South Africa project (WASA 3). This is the mapping of wind (as a resource) in the country that can be used for feasibility studies in support of wind energy projects.

A

lthough it is possible to build a wind farm anywhere in the country – wherever land is available – there are some areas better suited to the production of electricity from wind than others. But how does one know where the best wind resources are found? This is where WASA comes into play. WASA is financially supported by the United Nations Development Programme and Global Environment Facility, through the South African Wind Energy Project (Sawep). The government of Denmark co-funded WASA 1 and WASA 2. • WASA 1 (2009-2014) covers the Western Cape and areas of the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape. • WASA 2 (2014-2018) covers KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and remaining areas of the Eastern Cape. • WASA 3 (2017 to 2021) covers the remaining areas of the Northern Cape and the rest of South Africa. Ms Lethabo Manamela, interim CEO, Sanedi, explained that the wind atlas provides a graphical representation of the wind resources available in various areas of the country. This information is primarily used by investors wishing to build wind farms in South Africa. “In order to place wind turbines in areas where

they will benefit from the available wind resource, one needs to know where the best wind resources are. Nineteen masts (covering 75% of South Africa’s land area) were erected over a period of 10 years to collect data about wind resources,” says Andre Otto from Sawep. Over and above the data collected from the 19 masts, further data has been supplied by the South African Weather Service (SAWS). SAWS has 111 weather stations, which hold 50 years’ worth of wind data. This data has been compacted to a range of wind speeds between 36 m/s and 44 m/s. Where wind speeds were below 36 m/s, they were increased to 36 m/s; and where they exceeded 40 m/s, they were capped at 44 m/s. “Wind power is proportional to the cube of the wind speed. Therefore, the energy

that can be extracted from the wind is highly affected by the speed of the wind. Computerderived digital (or numerical) modelling is used to convert global wind data through a process of meso- and microscale modelling, with each step increasing the resolution and incorporating the land topography to estimate the local wind resource,” Otto adds. WASA 3 used new and improved software, which increased the speed of processing while reducing computer power requirements. Work on a prospective fourth phase – WASA 4 – is expected to begin soon.

The wind atlas provides a graphical representation of the wind resources available in various areas of the country

IMIESA October 2021

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Articles inside

Labour-intensive construction is a technology

5min
pages 46-47

Low-volume roads: potential and pitfalls

10min
pages 48-50

Bundle transport planning capabilities to improve public transport

7min
pages 36-37

Local launch for structural adhesive

2min
page 57

Putting old tyres back on the road, sustainably

3min
page 45

Setting the standard for earthmoving proficiency

5min
pages 54-56

Indian contractor sets new slipform paving records

4min
pages 51-52

Wind atlas available for South Africa

2min
page 33

Recommissioning Unit 1 at Eskom’s Drakensberg plant

2min
page 32

A greener future through convergence

3min
page 31

Climate action plan for Johannesburg

4min
pages 28-29

Renewables, energy storage and the future of smart cities

2min
page 30

100 Mℓ of water from Ndlambe desal plant

1min
page 23

Leak detection in the Mother City

3min
page 26

Integrated intelligence to solve wastewater challenges

3min
page 27

Model available for efficient landscape water use

2min
page 22

How municipalities can effectively manage groundwater resources

5min
pages 24-25

Intelligent pipeline inspection using CCTV technology

4min
pages 20-21

Infrastructure news from around the continent

5min
pages 18-19

Procurement – from an engineer’s perspective

5min
pages 16-17

Quality aggregate at the heart of construction success

6min
pages 8-9

The implementation of the BUILD programme

5min
pages 12-13

Leveraging Industry 4.0 for a post- Covid-19 recovery

7min
pages 14-15

President’s comment

2min
page 7

Wire and stone

6min
pages 10-11

Editor’s comment

4min
pages 5-6
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