Small scale hydropower plants

Introduction
In remote areas, small-scale hydro schemes can bring
electricity for the first time to whole communities.
This provides lighting, TV and communications for
homes, schools, clinics and community buildings. The
electrical power generated can be enough to run
machinery and refrigerators, thus supporting small
businesses as well as homes.
 How small scale hydro power works
The energy of water that river or steam
contain (such as power of rate at which the
water is flowing) in itself is transformed in
electricity.
four groups:

Large scale: 2MW and above

Mini: 100kW to 2MW
Micro: 5kW to 100kW
Pico: less than 5kW
 Benefits
In remote areas, small-scale hydro schemes can bring electricity for the first time
to whole communities. This provides lighting, TV and communications for homes,
schools, clinics and community buildings. The electrical power generated can be
enough to run machinery and refrigerators, thus supporting small businesses as
well as homes.

A prime aim of the micro-hydro schemes developed by GIZ-Integration in

Afghanistan was to provide enough electricity for workshops and other small
businesses, thus offering alternatives to opium production for earning income.
Practical Action Peru also found that young people were more likely to stay in
villages with micro-hydro, and that business activities grew.

The main environmental benefit of micro-hydro is reducing greenhouse gas

emissions and local pollution from fossil fuels. This includes kerosene for lighting,
diesel for running machinery, and fossil fuels for generating electricity.
 Cost
The cost of small-scale hydro varies significantly with location.
For example, SRSPs hydro projects in Pakistan cost
around $1,300 per kW in 2015, while GIZ-Integrations
schemes in Afghanistan cost between US$3,700 and
US$5,300 per kW in 2012.
 The future
There is substantial potential for supplying off-grid communities with
electricity from small hydro schemes. The technology can be made
compatible with the national grid so that an off-grid hydro scheme could
subsequently be connected to the grid: all the GIZ-Integation schemes
in Afghanistan have been designed in this way.

There are concerns about the environmental impact of large-scale hydro

schemes because they require substantial areas to be flooded to
provide reservoirs, and can have a serious impact on water
management. Carefully designed small-scale hydro schemes take only a
limited amount of water from a river or stream, have a small storage
volume, and return the water a short distance downstream, and thus
have very little environmental impact. Several small hydro systems have
less environmental impact than a single large hydro scheme supplying
the same power.
 Types of turbine

Pelton turbine
Francis turbine
Cross flow
Propeller trubine