How important is hydropower for Europe?

Hydropower is the oldest clean energy source with a very long history of use. Europe has a very long tradition in using hydro resources and hydropower remains one of the top energy sources on the Old Continent.

The recent study conducted by 600 energy experts from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden confirmed that hydropower was important energy source for Europe, and 80% of energy experts agreed that hydropower was already helping in tackling the climate change.

Energy experts agreed that hydropower is connected with the low carbon dioxide emissions (96%) with 92% describing hydropower as eco-friendly source of energy.

Despite its significance, 63% of energy experts believe that hydropower doesn't receive enough political support in Europe. There are plenty of untapped hydro resources across the Europe but political support is still inadequate for bigger exploitation.

Energy experts had high praise in terms of the reliability of hydropower plants, stability (95%), high efficiency (88%) and also the long-term profitability (83%). The researchers also agreed on the importance of pumped storage projects, with 84% stating that it will play a significant role in the future, while 90% agreed that the modernization and expansion of existing hydro projects should be at the forefront of development.

From both the economic as well as environmental point of view, hydropower is extremely important source for present time and especially for future. The future of hydropower development definitely belongs to the most important energy questions in Europe.

There are plenty of reasons for more hydropower in Europe, not just in terms of tackling the climate change but also in terms of reliability and cost-competitiveness.

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Japan wants more small hydro systems

Japan plans to add more renewable energy not just to diversify its energy portfolio but also to step further away from going for more nuclear energy. One of the ways to seek more renewable energy is to go for more hydropower, or to be more precise small hydropower.

Japan's Ministry of Environment has put aside 300 million yen in its budget in order to carry out a nationwide survey into the viability of the small hydropower generators. Many of Japan's energy experts believe that small hydro systems can be installed at relatively small cost especially because they take very little surrounding area for installation.

It has been said that small hydropower installations installed on public waterworks are able to provide a more stable power supply than other types of renewable energy such as solar and wind that suffer from issues such as intermittency.

The general idea is to install turbines to benefit from gravity where water flows downwards from reservoirs to purification plants. The Ministry should study the feasibility of approximately 1,500 water utilities to identify locations throughout the country where the new generators could be installed.

The Ministry hopes that by using small hydropower country could reach an output equivalent to the power from one whole thermal power plant.

Small hydro will not only account for more renewable energy usage, it will also help decrease Japan's greenhouse gas emissions.

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New bill for more small hydro in United States

Small hydropower sector could soon experience real boom, especially after The U.S. House voted convincingly in favor of the bill proposed by U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton,which should make easier to produce hydropower from canals and ditches across the West.

The main purpose of this bill is to streamline the regulatory process for building smaller hydropower projects of 5 megawatts or less along 373 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation canals and ditches that are deemed suitable for such projects.

The good news for future developers of these projects is that the environmental review has already been done so the developers will not require to do another one. Outside developers would only have to install generators to harness the water's power.

Small hydropower projects are usually lot more environmentally friendly as compared to constructing large dams. In this sense, small hydropower is an environmentally friendly way to harness lot of the U.S. untapped hydropower potential.

Next stop is the hearing in the US Senate that is scheduled later this month. 

The state of Wyoming has the largest numbers of these waterways—121, further behind are Montana with 32 and Colorado with 28.  

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Guide to micro hydropower systems

Micro hydropower systems are hydroelectric power installations with relatively small output, as they typically produce up to 100 kW of power. These systems are far less complex as compared to large hydropower plants. For starters, these systems usually do not have a dam or reservoir because they require minimal flow of water to be available year-round. Many energy experts find these systems perfect for isolated homes and small communities.

These systems are also good in complementing other energy sources, especially solar power. This comes especially handy during the cold winter months when available hydropower is at maximum as compared to minimal amount of available sunshine.

The economics of micro hydropower systems is very good. We are talking here about costs ranging from $1,000 – $20,000, depending on several factors which include site electricity, requirements and location. These systems are also connected with low maintenance costs.

Favorable costs of these systems are also connected with excellent efficiency because these systems require a minimal amount of flow to generate electricity (with about two gallons per minute being enough in terms of efficiency).

Micro hydropower in isolated area

I must also mention here their reliability, especially during winter months when water flow is the highest, and they are on the peak of their generation. They are not that effective during the summer months because of the lower flow.

Finding optimal site to install these systems is not that easy because you need to consider many factors such as stream size, flow rate, distance from the power source, etc. All these factors must be taken into the equation for micro hydropower system to achieve optimum efficiency at a certain site.

There is not a unique type of water turbine being used by these systems. Various types of turbines can be used depending on the head of water, the volume of flow, the availability of local maintenance and transport of equipment to the site, etc. For mountainous regions where a waterfall of 50 meters or more may be available, a Pelton wheel is a typical option while for low head installations, Francis or propeller-type turbines are usually the preferred option. Very low head installations of only a few meters are mostly equipped with propeller-type turbines in a pit.

Overall speaking, micro hydropower systems have minimal environmental impact. Of course, micro hydro developers still need to be careful not to create damaging impact on ecosystems in the area.

Micro hydropower systems are definitely interesting energy option, particularly for developing world, as they give poor countries a reliable, clean energy option that once built can last for a very long time.

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