Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter will explain comprehensively the theories, related articles, and related

literature provided by authors, experts and scientists of different fields. This section will contain

the synthesis of all the research articles, journals, and studies provided in this chapter.

Theoretical Framework:

Hydropower functions through the flow of a river. This flow is created by the water

cycle, due to constant movement of water in, on, and above the Earth, creating streamflow,

precipitation, and more. This flow is characterized by its kinetic energy that can be transformed

into electricity in an ROR hydropower project through electromagnetic induction, which is the

driving force behind the creation of electricity not only in hydropower projects, but in all power

plants. The need for products and services in the world and its relationship to price is described

by the supply and demand curve, which induces price changes and fluctuations in a national

economy. The economic need for hydropower is determined by this curve. The following section

discusses further the aforementioned topics, and provides support for the theory of the paper.

The Theory of the Water Cycle

The flow of a river has been observed for longer than can be remembered. The reason a

river flows however, is not often studied. The water cycle is the idea that water moves

continuously on, under, and above the earth. This theory was first proposed by Bernard Palissy in

1580. This theory is readily observable anywhere we go, it, however, does not explain the

driving force behind the flow of water and simply explains why the water in a flowing river does
not run out. The flow of a river is created not only by gravity, but also by runoff, the melting of

ice, precipitation etc. This knowledge is integral in understanding how hydropower can produce

virtually infinite energy without need for human intervention—sustainability.

Electromagnetic Induction Theory

It is widely understood that movement creates kinetic energy. An idea created by

Newton and transformed into the laws of motion. It is not widely known, however, how this

kinetic energy can create electricity. Electromagnetic induction is the idea that a voltage is

induced in a circuit whenever relative motion exists between a conductor and a magnetic field

and that the magnitude of this voltage is proportional to the rate of change of the flux. If a

magnet is moved consistently around a conductor, electricity can be produced, and the amount of

electricity produced is determined by the rate at which they are moving between each other.

Proposed by Faraday and supported by Lenz, this theory has been shown to work experimentally

numerous times. The only drawback of this theory is that the ideal model created by Faraday

only functions under an infinitely closed loop of conductive material. This theory is the basis of

how hydropower can function. Water moves a turbine, inside which are a magnet and a

conductor that are moved around each other constantly, this movement creates electricity.

The Theory of Supply and Demand

Economics remains a confusing topic to most, however the Theory of Supply and

Demand, proposed by Alfred Marshall and supported extensively by Rothbard is able to explain

a lot of the events that happen in the economy. It states that supply and demand pull against each

other until the market finds an equilibrium price. Meaning that a price of a good fluctuates

depending on its need in a community and how much of it there is. This theory can be proven
through simple observation and it has been observed since 1890. The theory, however, only

works if all other factors remain equal. This theory helps the researchers explain the economic

need for a new hydropower project, its feasibility in the surrounding community, and its impacts

to the commerce and economic standing of the region as well as the nation.

Review of Related Studies:

The research paper used a paradigm paper entitled:

Selecting a Small Run-of-river Hydropower Plant by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP): A

Case Study of Miño-Sil River Basin, Spain

The Departamento de Proyectos de Ingeniería published on May 20, 2015 a paper written

by J.L. Fuentes-Bargues and P.S. Ferrer-Gisbert. It represents to the research a paradigm for

many valuable concepts and practical analysis and applications. The main takeaway of this

article was that the number of small hydropower plants could increase around the world—a

claim potentially confirming that a small hydropower plant in Pasig area is viable. The authors

employed a particular technique called the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to decide the

feasibility of certain locations being fit for hydropower the best technical, economical, and

environmental means of creating one not only locally but also on a global scale. A downside,

however, is the failure to address the economic aspect of their final decision for the Miño-Sil

river basin, their case study subject. This is important as the AHP should also be used to value

the economic aspects of the choices available. Rest assured, the proponents found many helpful

information in the article, in particular that using AHP has a potential to tap more sources of

ROR hydropower and that using AHP can help protect flora and fauna in the vicinity of ROR

hydropower plant, as well as the water quality and fish population.

Review of Related Literature:

With the global concern of energy efficiency and energy renewability, scientists have

been under pressure to fulfil such demand and mitigate the effects of global warming by cutting

down carbon emissions. This has led to researches on concepts such as hydropower and the

developments and enhancements that may be imposed upon it. Meanwhile, the degrading

environment as well has called for action for the resurrection of Pasig River and to restore its

activity. Thus, studies on its profile, structure, and the possible alleviation of its pollution have

been conducted, both by local and foreign researchers. These combine into the availability of the

following online resources and myriads of studies that that the researchers have comprehensively

studied, for they may lead to the substantiation of decision concerning the viability of ROR

hydropower in the Pasig River.

During the Republic of the Philippines, 8th Congress, a law pertinent and integral to the

researchers’ study was enacted. It was the Republic Act 7156: An Act Granting Incentives To

Mini-Hydroelectric Power Developers And For Other Purposes, passed on September 21, 1991.

This 11-page document, discussed about the legal requirements behind hydropower in any part

of the Philippines. This would help the researchers see what needs to be done from a stable, legal

standpoint in order to create and enforce ROR hydropower. RA7156 provides guidelines for

personalities who wish to file and apply to install hydropower installations in the country. These

guidelines were created to keep from unfit installations that could be harmful to the environment,

to the economy, and to the people. As a legal law rooted only on one position, the RA does not

require for a project to be checked on or examined on a regular basis and instead only requires

that the interested personality conducts research on its feasibility at the time of filing. It does,
however, provide the administrative requirements needed by the researchers to deem the

feasibility of their targeted power plant.

Streamflow Variability and Optimal Capacity of Run‐of‐river Hydropower Plants is an

article published by Water Resources Research on October 12, 2012. The authors of the article,

S. Basso & G. Botter, tackled the evaluation of the viability of small run-of-river hydropower by

analysis of streamflow. This concept is vital to the proponents’ study as the streamflow of the

Pasig river can affect the viability of our ROR hydropower engine. Its importance lies in the fact

that the article provided analytical and mathematical expressions by relating the flow of current

to energy output and economic effect—expressions from which the research proponents’

analysis of the viability of an ROR hydropower in Pasig River will benefit greatly. Furthermore,

the article has successfully applied these mathematical models in real-time through conducting a

case study. Also, it proved that energy efficiency is inversely related to the streamflow

variability. However, as the paper contains some limitations, such as its failure to consider the

energy subsidy effect on both the economic aspect of their model and the degree of exploitation

of water supply, researching on these areas will be considered. Another concept that may be

considered as areas of further research is the relationship of the power output of ROR

hydropower plants, not only on the water flow, but also on the water quality.

Run off River Plant: Status and Prospects, authored by H. Sharma and J. Singh, was

published on July 2013 by the International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring

Engineering. The article reported the current status of ROR hydropower around the world,

effectively providing the essential general background for the proponents’ research. The article

provided yet another synthesis of literature and previous researches this time to compare ROR

hydropower plants with conventional, large-scale impoundment hydropower (employing dams in

order to build gravitational kinetic energy). The authors also discussed how ROR could be

comparably better than other sources of renewable energy, such as wind and solar. Reliance on

the data of others without experimentation, however, allows for possibility of errors or outdated

findings and thus compels the need for cross-checking. Nevertheless, the paper showed how

ROR hydropower can be considered one of the most efficient and cheapest alternatives to other

forms of renewable energy in relation to its energy output. This and other facts divulged in the

article will benefit the whole of the proponents’ research, coupled with fact-checking and

supplementary data from other literature of greater credibility.

A research entitled The Impacts of ‘Run‐Of‐River’ Hydropower on the Physical and

Ecological Condition of Rivers was conducted by Anderson, D., Moggridge, H., Warren, P., and

Shucksmith, J., producing an article released by the Water and Environment Journal on October

22, 2014. It provided insights into the different environmental effects of run-of-river (or ROR)

hydropower on different river systems. This was performed by conducting textual synthesis of

other published literature pertaining to ROR hydropower and its influences on river systems. The

authors studied things such as the introduction and maintenance of in-channel barriers, water

abstraction, flow regime alteration, etc.—all of which are included in the scoped of the

proponents’ research. In addition, the paper presented inferences on how ROR hydropower can

affect the habitats of wildlife and the ecological-biological structure within its proximity at

various degrees. Its significance to our research is conveyed by the fact that the proposed ROR

hydropower plant in Pasig River will have significant effects upon human and ecological

communities in its locality. Knowing these possible effects will allow for the determination of

the viability of such structure in the face of environmental concerns. Overall, the article was

written well with data being relevant to the present and to proponents’ research as well.
 Authors Guo, Z.; Li, Y.; Xiao, X.; Zhang, L.; and Gan, Y. has produced an article entitled

Hydroelectricity Production And Forest Conservation In Watersheds. The article was published

by the Ecological Applications on September 1, 2007. This 6-page article is a fundamental

portion of the researchers’ study as one of the greatest issues a hydropower building faces is the

environmental destruction. Almost all types of hydropower, including ROR, involves a certain

degree of ecological upheaval—but for ROR it may almost be negligible. This article shows how

ROR hydropower in the Yangtze River can help the surrounding environment and community,

being affected by the Three Gorges Dam. This is important because it helps the researchers show

how hydropower can be helpful and meaningful to its surroundings. The authors analyzed data

on the ecosystem surrounding the Yangtze as well as how the government pays nearby residents

for the use of the river. They observed that there can be a beneficial relationship between the

production of this type of hydroelectricity and surrounding ecology and people. One flaw,

however, is that the subjects were mostly rural communities; the authors were not able to cover

the effects of it on an urban environment.

The YCAR Papers, Political Ecology series, and the (Re)making Governance series went

hand-in-hand publishing an article entitled Power, Progress and Impoverishment: Plantations,

Hydropower, Ecological Change and Community Transformation in Hinboun District, Lao

PDR. This was authored by Barney K. and published on June 2007. This 14-page paper

examined the effects of hydropower in the Hinboun District of Laos on the surrounding

communities of the Xe Bang Fai river basin in the long run. Ostensibly, this can help the

researchers see how an ROR Hydropower project could affect communities surrounding the

Pasig River, as the compared community in Hinboun District is similar to that of Pasig. In the

paper, the author observed different aspects of life in the community in relation to the influence
of an ROR hydropower. This includes the economic aspects, such as the livelihood of the people

nearby, as well as its effects on the industries in the community, for instance, farming. The

author’s findings were substantial in that he was able to find the potential threats to the

community and ecology, such as logging and poorly designed irrigation. The article also

discussed the things that could result in the event that a large industrial development intervention

arises into the community being under the affect of an ROR hydropower.

Environmental Engineering Research has published an article on September 15, 2010

entitled The Water Quality of the Pasig River in the City of Manila, Philippines: Current Status,

Management and Future Recovery, which was written by Joan B. Gorme, Marla C. Maniquiz,

Pum Song, Lee-Hyung Kim. The article discussed the water management policies in the Pasig

River, the issues and hurdles that are involved with it, and most importantly a general assessment

of the present state of the said river. The latter in particular will be most beneficial to the

research of the proponents as the viability of and ROR hydropower plant will depend on the very

condition and traits of the Pasig River, although the policies that govern its management is also

vital to this study. In addition, the researchers of the article provided comparisons of the water

quality and management of the Pasig River to that of major South Korean rivers as well as

introduced probable plans for the recovery of now polluted Pasig River. The main relevance then

of this article ni general to the proponents’ research is the appraisal of the Pasig River, which

would influence the direction of the research.

On October 2019, Earth and Environmental Science has published a paper entitled River

Flow Pattern And Heavy Metals Concentrations In Pasig River, Philippines As Affected By

Varying Seasons And Astronomical Tides. This 16-page article was written by Paronda, G,

David, C, and Apodaca, D. It discussed dominant and other metal pollutants that congest and
possibly pollute the Pasig River, the flow patterns in the water body, and the tides that affect the

latter and that are caused by seasonal changes. The authors studied the concentrations of heavy

metals during certain tides and seasons by taking samples from the river at different times of the

year and found that at different times of the year sections of the Pasig River can be deeper or

shallower. This is important in helping the researchers decide on ROR’s feasibility in the Pasig

River, as these factors will affect the integrity of the water turbines and the system, the very

streamflow direction, and the function of the plant. A major and disappointing flaw would be

that the does not comprehensively examine how heavy metals could affect the rate of flow of the

river. Nonetheless, the data it will furnish the researchers are invaluable.

A joint study by the Department of Public Works and Highways of the Republic of the

Philippines and the Japan International Cooperation Agency produced a government project-

study entitled The Detailed Design Of Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project

(Phase III) on February 2013. It was a 314-page discussion on their agenda with a complete and

very detailed profile of the Pasig River has been comprehensively discussed in the second

chapter. The study covered different aspects of the Pasig River, particularly its river bed and

bank region such as its topography, geology, ground and soil profile, etc. The paper had been

very effective in sharing highly accurate and credible data on the geological and topographical

aspects of the river, as well as in giving guidelines for constructions near the river. This would

greatly benefit the researcher’s study as the Pasig River is also an integral part of the

consideration to establish an ROR hydropower system. The study, however, did sparsely contain

analyses on the flow of the river per se, although it has extensively discussed the other natural

condition aspects of the River.

 A research article written by Van Heerden, M. J. was entitled Control Of Sediment

Diversion In Run-Of-River Hydropower Schemes. This 291-page study produced in 2012

discussed how river sediments can impede the functionality of ROR hydropower systems. This is

aptly the case, as relying on streamflow as means to drive turbines will accompany a buildup of

soil residue in the system. Thus, the article also discussed solutions that would greatly aid the

researchers in developing a feasibility study concerning these hydropower systems. In the study,

particularly, the author performed comparative experiments using a hydraulic design to see what

models could more effectively remove sediment from the turbine of the ROR system, finding out

later on that sand traps or hoppers with jet pumps prove most effective in removing sediment

from the ROR system. However, of the things that the author considered as sedimentary

obstruction, trash-based sediment was not included, which would have been a more fitting and

specific factor for the Pasig River. This shortcoming, however, could be supplemented by

literature included in this section.

The Departamento de Proyectos de Ingeniería published on May 20, 2015 a work entitled

Selecting a Small Run-of-river Hydropower Plant by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP): A

Case Study of Miño-Sil River Basin, Spain. This paper written by J.L. Fuentes-Bargues and P.S.

Ferrer-Gisbert represents to the research a paradigm for many valuable concepts and practical

analysis and applications. The main takeaway of this article was that the number of small

hydropower plants could increase around the world—a claim potentially confirming that a small

hydropower plant in Pasig area is viable. The authors employed a particular technique called the

analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to decide the feasibility of certain locations being fit for

hydropower the best technical, economical, and environmental means of creating one not only

locally but also on a global scale. A downside, however, is the failure to address the economic
aspect of their final decision for the Miño-Sil river basin, their case study subject. This is

important as the AHP should also be used to value the economic aspects of the choices available.

Rest assured, the proponents found many helpful information in the article, in particular that

using AHP has a potential to tap more sources of ROR hydropower and that using AHP can help

protect flora and fauna in the vicinity of ROR hydropower plant, as well as the water quality and

fish population.

Synthesis

The reviewed works above provide pertinent and constructive insights into the

researchers’ study concerning the feasibility of an ROR hydropower in the Pasig River.

Collectively, it discussed the influence of the independent variables, namely the administrative

requirements, the economic effect, the electrical capacity, the environmental and ecological

influence, the safety in the locality, the topographic and geological features, and the water status

and condition on the dependent variable, the viability of the said hydropower.