Hydropower is the leading source of renewable energy and plays a critical role in stabilizing power systems by balancing fluctuations in intermittent and inflexible energy sources. This study evaluated hydropower site suitability in the Central African Power Pool (CAPP) using datasets from CHIRPS (annual rainfall averages from 1981 to 2020), ESRI, SRTM DEM (30 arc-seconds (∼1 km) spatial resolution), FAO, and UNESCO/ISRIC to analyze slope, drainage density, flow accumulation, and related physical parameters. Data preprocessing in ArcGIS Pro ensured spatial consistency by standardizing and resampling all datasets to a uniform spatial resolution of 30 m × 30 m, normalizing, and reclassifying parameters into five suitability categories (1–5) based on predefined thresholds, such as drainage density ranges \(0.0–0.035 km/km 2 for low density), slope intervals (0°–2.14° for gentle slopes), and soil types relevant to hydropower development. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) structured hydropower suitability evaluation as a multi-criteria decision-making framework, wherein key parameters, including drainage density, slope, elevation, soil type, rainfall, and geology, were compared pairwise to determine their relative importance. Consistency checks validated the logical coherence of these comparisons. Subsequently, a weighted overlay combined these criteria spatially, producing a composite suitability map. Eligibility criteria for hydropower development were defined by reclassifying each parameter into the five suitability classes based on thresholds indicative of hydropower potential. The integrated results indicate that most of the CAPP region exhibits physical and environmental characteristics favorable for hydropower development. Low drainage density and gentle slopes coincide with loamy soils and tree cover, supporting hydropower viability. Elevation profiles and dendritic flow patterns further reinforce suitability, while stable geological formations, mainly undivided Precambrian rocks, underpin foundational stability. Rainfall variability and land use patterns complement these factors, culminating in approximately 74.07% of the CAPP area being classified as moderately to highly suitable for hydropower development. The dominant determining factors were Drainage Density (weight: 0.20), Flow Accumulation (0.18), and Elevation (0.15). These high-weight criteria, combined with favorable loamy soil textures and stable geological formations, represent the primary drivers of suitability in the region.
Bimenyimana et al. (Thu,) studied this question.