Tools for Small Hydropower Plant Resource Planning and Development: A Review of Technology and Applications

Abstract

This paper reviews and compares software tools for the planning and design of small hydropower (SHP) plants. The main emphasis is on small scale hydropower resource assessment computer tools and methodologies for the development of SHP plants corresponding to a preliminary or prefeasibility study level. The paper presents a brief evaluation of the historic software tools and the current tools used in the small hydro industry. The reviewed tools vary from simple initial estimates to quite sophisticated software. The integration of assessment tools into Geographic Information System (GIS) environments has led to a leap forward in the strengthening of the evaluation of the power potential of water streams in the case of the spatial variability of different factors affecting stream power. A number of countries (e.g., Canada, Italy, Norway, Scotland and the US) have re-assessed their hydropower capacities based on spatial information of their water stream catchments, developing tools for automated hydro-site identification and deploying GIS-based tools, so-called Atlases, of small-scale hydropower resources on the Internet. However, a reliable assessment of real SHP site feasibility implies some "on the ground" surveying, but this traditional assessment can be greatly facilitated using GIS techniques that involve the spatial variability of catchment characteristics.

Micro-hydro power in the UK: The role of communities in an emerging energy resource

“…Construction details of a micro-hydro plant are site-specific, but the common elements of all micro-hydroelectric schemes include: a supply of water to provide a minimal flow of water to be available year-round; a settling pond to remove sediment from the flow so as not to damage the turbine; an intake structure to screen out floating debris and fish; a pipe or canal to route water to the turbine; a controlling valve to regulate the flow and the speed of the turbine; a turbine to convert the flow and pressure of the water to mechanical energy; and finally a tailrace to transfer the water emerging from the turbine to the natural watercourse (Khennas and Barnett 2000;Paish, 2002). Existing research has explored ideal conditions for micro-hydro development and how to maximise investment returns (Punys et al, 2011;Catalao et al, 2012).…”

“…Singh 2004) and how to assess potential sites where schemes may be located (e.g. Larentis et al, 2010;Cyr et al, 2011;Punys et al, 2011). Yet whilst the potential of microhydro has been noted (Paish, 2002;Roberts 2008), there has been little consideration of the challenges and consequences of developing this energy resource.…”

A feasibility and implementation model of small-scale hydropower development for rural electrification in South Africa: A case study of Kwa Madiba SSHP Plant

“…However, for a reliable assessment of real SSHP site feasibility, site-specific 'on the ground' surveying is needed. But the traditional assessment can be greatly facilitated using GIS techniques that involve the spatial variability of catchment characteristics (Punys et al, 2011).…”

Energy Saving in a Water Supply Network by Coupling a Pump and a Pump As Turbine (PAT) in a Turbopump

“…Therefore, a turbine could be placed at the tank inflow in order to both reduce pressure and recover energy to supply the pump. Three main problems limit the convenience of the installation of a turbine governed generator to power the pumping system, namely (i) the small amount of power available; (ii) the high cost of traditional turbines; and (iii) the low combined efficiency of the two electromechanical devices (the turbine generator and the pump motor) [18][19][20]. PATs could be employed instead of classic turbines, since they are considered a viable and flexible solution for energy production in a WDN, due to their lower cost and their generally acceptable efficiency [21][22][23][24].…”