Water infrastructure asset management addressing the SDGs through energy recovery

Abstract

Energy recovery through conduit hydropower has the potential to help lessen the impact of both the energy and water crises in South Africa. Energy recovery and leakage reduction also have the potential to increase the sustainability of municipal infrastructure and therefore address four of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although awareness of the potential for energy recovery within municipal water supply and distribution systems exists, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the extent and location of such potential. Municipal infrastructure asset registers (ARs) and asset management plans (AMPs), which contain water supply and distribution system data, should be leveraged to identify preliminary potential for energy recovery and leakage reduction.