How Will Hydroelectric Power Generation Develop under Climate Change Scenarios?

Climate change has a large impact on water resources and thus on hydropower. Hydroelectric power generation is closely linked to the regional hydrological situation of a watershed and reacts sensitively to changes in water quantity and seasonality. The development of hydroelectric power generation in the Upper Danube basin was modelled for two future decades, namely 2021-2030 and 2051-2060, using a special hydropower module coupled with the physically-based hydrological model PROMET. To cover a possible range of uncertainties, 16 climate scenarios were taken as meteorological drivers which were defined from different ensemble outputs of a stochastic climate generator, based on the IPCC-SRES-A1B emission scenario and four regional climate trends. Depending on the trends, the results show a slight to severe decline in hydroelectric power generation. Whilst the mean summer values indicate a decrease, the mean winter values display an increase. To show past and future regional differences within the Upper Danube basin, three hydropower plants at individual locations were selected. Inter-annual differences originate predominately from unequal contributions of the runoff compartments rain, snow-and ice-melt

Hydropower Plants and Their Problems

Approximately 23% of the world electric power is produced by hydroelectric power plants (HPP). This kind of power stations convert the kinetic energy of the falling water into the mechanical energy of the turbine's rotation, and the turbine drives the electric machine current generator. The construction of hydroelectric power plants is usually more capital intensive than thermal power plants. Reservoirs make the climate more moderate. There can be two main factors for effective power generation at HPPs: guaranteed availability of water throughout the year and possibly large deviations of the rive

“Landscape and Heritage of Hydroelectricity in Portugal”

Hydroelectric power plants provided countries with scarcity of coal, such as Portugal, with a vital source of energy for the production of electricity in large quantities. Therefore, since the late 19th century the use of waterfalls as producers of electric power was a topic of study and interest among engineers and the matter was regularly discussed at the Association of Portuguese Civilian Engineers. The great hydroelectric power plants, considered by many as the cathedrals of the second industrial revolution are an important industrial heritage which is important to value and appreciate. Hydroelectricity also gave origin to new landscapes and the problem today regards the management of this new landscape and the construction of new patrimonial values

Hydroelectric Dams and the Decline of Chinook Salmon in the Columbia River Basin

The decline of chinook salmon runs into the mouth of the Columbia River in recent decades is thought to be partly attributable to the construction of hydroelectric dams. The purpose of this article is to estimate the magnitude of losses in chinook salmon runs caused by hydroelectric dams, using regression analysis. Such estimates are not only of historical interest but also can potentially affect the extent of efforts to mitigate salmon losses from hydropower operations. Congress has mandated the Northwest Power Planning Council to consider the magnitude of run losses caused by hydroelectric operations in determining the extent of mitigation efforts.habitat, Northwest Power Planning Council, hydroelectric dams, Chinook salmon, smolt production., Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Micro Hydroelectric Power Generation

MICRO-HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION Roberto Arraya Department of Chemical Engineering – Honors Thesis ABSTRACT A major industrial water user in New Mexico discharges approximately 3.8 million gal of wastewater per day. The topology of the site provides an elevation difference of about 150 ft between the plant site and the entrance to the municipal sewage line; this flow and elevation difference is sufficient to produce about 40 kW of electrical power using a water turbine/electrical generator set to extract power from the flowing stream. This report includes designs and economic analyses for two distinct cases. One case is based on the written premises of the task; whereas, a second case is based on a real surrogate site, which is Intel’s Rio Rancho (near Albuquerque, NM) plant, which does discharge about 3.8 million gal per day and has about 120 ft of head available for power generation. After analyzing several turbine technologies, the Pelton wheel turbine was determined to be the most economical means for generating commercial electrical power. Pelton Wheel turbines operate most efficiently with a constant head and flow. Because the wastewater discharge for the task varies from 0.5 – 4 MM gal/day, an integrated study of the flow fluctuations determined that a surge tank of 27,000 gal was required to maintain a steady flow as input to the turbine. The task premises did not include any existing storage for the discharge stream; consequently, a 27,000 gal surge tank was provided for the task premises site. The surrogate site has a surge basin with a surface area of 17,000 ft2. This surface area requires only a 3 in level change to accommodate 27,000 gal of surge; consequently, no surge tank was included in the surrogate site case. The surge provides the turbine with a steady flow of 2,400 gpm and a constant head of 120 ft. The purchased turbine system selected by CREW has an overall (mechanical + electrical) efficiency of 68%. For the task premises scenario, 40 kW is produced, and for the surrogate site scenario, 30 kW is produced. The WERC task premises case is most economical with an IROR of 4.3%. This return is marginal for earnings projects under normal circumstances. However, interest rates are now at historically lower levels, and are projected to remain low for several years. The surrogate location IROR is about 2.0%, which is considered as a reasonable return for a minimal risk project with today’s economic environment. This energy recovery initiative is a “Green†project, which inherently lowers the acceptable IROR for environmentally conscious industries. This project will require about 12 months to complete once funds are available

Adaptation of historical technical facility on the small hydroelectric power

Malé vodní elektrárny jsou tématem této bakalářské práce, kterou lze dále rozdělit na tři části. První je věnována historii využívání vodní energie, základním typům hydroenergetických děl a klasifikaci vodních elektráren. Druhá část je zaměřena na malé vodní elektrárny. Získané informace jsou na konec využity v závěrečné části popisující návrh přestavby mlýna v Lomech na malou vodní elektrárnu.Small hydroelectric power stations are the topic of this bachelor thesis which can be divided into three parts. The first one describes a history of utilising water energy, elementary types of hydropower projects, and classification of hydroelectric power stations. The second part is focused on small hydroelectric power stations. Finally the acquired knowledge is used in the last part describing the proposal of an adaptation of the water mill in Lomy to a small hydroelectric power station.

Market Power Assessment and Mitigation in Hydrothermal Systems

The objective of this work is to investigate market power issues in bid- based hydrothermal scheduling. Initially, market power is simulated with a single stage Nash-Cournot equilibrium model. Market power assessment for multiple stages is then carried through a stochastic dynamic programming scheme. The decision in each stage and state is the equilibrium of a multi-agent game. Thereafter, mitigation measures, specially bilateral contracts, are investigated. Case studies with data taken from the Brazilian system are presented and discussed.Game theory, Hydroelectric-thermal power generation, Power generation economics

Plan of Grid Connection for Small Hydroelectric Power Plant

The subject of this work is a plan of grid connection for small hydroelectric power plant. The introduction briefly describes the hydroelectric power plant and location of the country. The main aim of this work is project of medium-voltage substation and cable connection transformer with medium-voltage substation

Hydroelectric Power Plant Project

Import 02/11/2016Bakalářská práce se zabývá popisem a funkcí malé vodní elektrárny a následným návrhem malé vodní elektrárny v konkrétní lokalitě. V první půli se zaměřuje na teoretické otázky jako stavební řešení, strojní řešení a elektrotechnické řešení. Druhá část se zaměřuje na konkrétní lokalitu na řeku Opava v Moravskoslezském kraji. Na základě hydropotenciálu lokality je navržena malá vodní elektrárna. Závěr práce je věnovaný celkovému zhodnocení z pohledu energetického, ekonomického a ekologického.This Bachelor Thesis deals with the description and function of small hydropower plant followed by design of small hydropower plant in specific locality. The first half is focused on theoretical issues such as structucal solutions, mechanical solutions and electrical solutions. The second part is focused on a specific location on the river Opava in the Moravian – Silesian Region. Based on the data of hydropower potencial is designed small hydropower plant. The conclusion is devoted to overall evaluation of view of energy, economic and environmental.361 - Katedra energetikyvýborn