Introduction to micro hydro power

• Usually isolated supplying just to one rural area or

community
• Located in remote location with no grid access
• Micro-hydro- a major source of energy for rural areas
• a more practical and cost effective alternative for meeting
rural energy needs
• Sometimes connected to mini grid for reliability
Why Nepal is suitable for micro hydropower?
• Plentiful of water and terrain with appreciable slope in hills
provides a very good micro hydro potential in the country
• Also used for milling powered by turbine without a
generator
 Where does micro hydro fit in the
classification
AEPC Classification:
• 0-5 kw :pico hydro
• 5kw -100 kw :micro hydro
• 100kw -1000kw :mini hydro
A Typical Micro Hydro Layout(1)
A Typical Micro Hydro Layout(2)
 History of Micro hydro power in
Nepal(1)
• Water mills (locally called as Ghatta) in rural areas from time
immemorial
• Balaju Yantra Shala established in 1960 through Swiss
assistance.(balaju yantra shala is one of the leading enginering
company of nepal. now it is private)
• UMN (united mission to Nepal )established of institutions to
support technology development mostly in Butwal, 1960-1970
• private workshops based on indigenous knowledge and practices
established in Kathmandu and in Butwal primarily to produce and
install small water mills, widely known as “Turbine Mill” during the
1970s.
• The water Mills were used extensively for processing of agricultural
products utilizing direct mechanical power.
 History of Micro hydro power in
Nepal(2)
• Addition of generators for electrification and the
establishment of private manufacturing companies
further spread in eighties and subsequent decades.
• Most of equipment or components (e.g., Turbines,
Trash Racks, Mild steel Pipes, Conductors and Load
Controllers) are, in general, locally manufactured in
Nepal.
• Generator and valves are imported from abroad
especially from India and china, and also from Europe
in some cases.
 History of Micro hydro power in
Nepal(3)
• The evolution of the standardization process,
rather in a limited manner, started from late
eighties.
• Intermediate Technology Development Group
(ITDG) and the Agricultural Development Bank
of Nepal (ADB/N) initialed a joint programme
in order to enhance the technological base of
the micro-hydro installations in the country.
 History of Micro hydro power in
Nepal(4)
• AEPC as a policy and advisory body was set up in 1996 to
promote the use of alternative/renewable energy
technologies which co-worked with the development
partners, private sectors, NGOs/INGOs to provide policy,
technical and financial support. Institutional lead:
Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) under the
Ministry of Environment
• With the active participation from the private sector and
through the technical and financial assistance of AEPC and
other national/international financing agencies, till 2013,
2778 micro and pico hydro plant with total installed
capacity of 26.5 MW were installed
• By the same time, there were 8493 number of units for
mechanical power generation for milling
 Capability and Demand Survey
 capability survey is that survey which is conduct To explore
whether the scheme will be effectively managed over its
life in terms of tariff collection, maintaining financial
accounts, resolving conflicts, distributing welfare benefits
etc. and
The major purpose is to find capability and to assess the
assistance required to raise capability of locals to required
level.
 demand survey is that survey which is conduct To explore
what demand is there for a new scheme, how much and
where it is needed and in what form, whether there is
willingness and ability to pay and how would the new
scheme bring the benefit to less advantaged people and
what are the disadvantages of the scheme.
Items to be covered by Capability and
Demand Survey(in report of these
survey also same answer )
• Map of village showing distances and position
of house and possible future commercial
activities
• Types of people and their comments on how
the proposed scheme will affect their
economic security and opportunities in the
future.
• Summary of institutions, organization etc who
may help in financing the scheme.
Items to be covered by Capability and
Demand Survey(2)
• Description of current irrigation system and its
management and future plans for irrigation
and how people expect hydropower to affect
their irrigation system
• Assessment of capability of local organization
to manage complex scheme involving finance,
welfare distribution, operation and machinery
and maintenance of machinery
Items to be covered by Capability and
Demand Survey(3)
• Interview notes from people/ institution
• Quantity of energy required, what for and when
it is required
• Description of new appliances and the way how
they are purchases, maintained and operated
• Assessment of likely hood of effective and long
lasting distribution of benefits from the scheme
to the poor member of the community.
Items to be covered by Capability and
Demand Survey(4)
• Recommendation for organizational
precondition for raising capability of locals
• A plan for management system explaining
how tariff and revenue would be collected
 Load factor and Plant factor
• Load Factor:
The ratio of total energy consumed in a particular
period to the total energy capacity connected to the
consumers during the same period.
• Plant Factor:
The ratio total energy consumed in a particular
period to the maximum energy available from the
plant in the same period.

• The load factor considers consumer behavior pattern and

the average consumption of power by the households
whereas plant factor shows to what extent the energy
available from the plant has been used.
Example (Load factor and Plant factor)

• If 5 KW of power is used for six hours a day

from a 10 KW plant, calculate the load factor
and the plant factor?
 Importance of Plant factor
• The plant factor shows the extent of energy use
from the available energy potential.
• A lower plant factor means less energy
consumption, less revenue generated and a
longer payback periods which may even increase
the plant cost. A plant factor of 0.4 in the initial
years and 0.6 or more in the subsequent years is
desirable. Plant factor can be improved by
matching power supply and demand through a
careful capability and demand survey.
Hydrograph
• A hydrograph is a graph of the flow in a
stream over a period of time. In the above is a
picture of a hydrograph, with stream flow
(discharge) in cubic feet per second on the y-
axis and time in months on the x-axis. Peaks in
the hydrograph are usually a result of
precipitation events
 INFORMATION OBTAINS FROM
HYDROGRAPH
• About Annual flow : variation of flow of stream can be
observe according to time
• Discharge is plotted with time in chronological order so
flow or discharge available in specific time can be find out
• We can find minimum discharge and maximum discharge
• We can describe the suitability of turbine from the
observation of discharge
• We can compare the hydrograph of two different stream
and can find the suitable stream according to our
requirements
• It also describe the feasibility of required size power house
is possible or not
Flow duration curve (FDC)
• All the information obtained from hydrograph
is also obtained from flow duration curve
• The Flow Duration Curve is one of the most
fundamental pieces of information that feeds
into the design of a hydropower project, so for
anyone that wants to understand hydropower
design, understanding the flow duration curve
is a good place to start.
 Micro hydro design approach
• Design for highest possible plant factor
Such that power supply and demand match
Give example of advantage of highest plant
Factor. (Example include revenue and annual
cost is written in your copy )
• In practice a good design aim for a predicted
plant factor above 0.4 even in the first years
and above 0.6 in later years
 Matching Power Supply and Demand
• Decide what priority you give to each use of water.
• Consider how the water demand variation throughout the
year compares with water availability. To do this, prepare a
demand/supply graph for a typical year.
• Prepare a demand supply graph for a typical day.
• Calculate the plant factor considering only the primary
loads.
• Calculate the plant factor with addition of secondary loads.
• Consider minimum down time and modify the plant factor
accordingly.
• Calculate the unit energy cost and compare with other
available alternatives.
 Matching Power Supply and
Demand:Example
A micro hydro is proposed with following demand and supply data:
• Gross head: 25 metres
The average discharge available is 160l/s for three dry month and it is
sufficient to meet the demand and can obtain this value from the Flow
as shown in the hydro graph above
• Electrical lighting: 20 KW, 6pm to 12 pm
• Milling: Miller desires 12 KW, but is ready to do with 6 KW if not
possible, 8 am to 4 pm
• Battery charging: 1 KW
• Heat storage cookers: Only 10 villagers, 200 watts each
• Irrigation demand: Water needed for 3 dry months, 400 hectares,
each hectare needs 5 m3 per day, demand will double within 4
years.
Is there enough water to satisfy this demand? Is so will the
proposed scheme be financially justified against a diesel option
offering a unit energy cost of 8 cents per kilo watt hour if annual
capital cost of micro hydropower is $4000?
 How matching power supply with
demand increase plant factor and cost
per unit ??