Practical Action experience on small hydro power energy. By: Tinashe Nethe & Teodoro Sánchez Practical Action

Transcription

1 Practical Action experience on small hydro power energy By: Tinashe Nethe & Teodoro Sánchez Practical Action

2 Practical Action Founded in 1966 by EF Schumacher,, Practical Action is an international group of development organisations with charitable status. Its head office is in the UK, with regional and country offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

3 HYDRO ENERGY SCHEME LAYOUT forebay tank channel intake penstock Power house

4 THE POWER RANGE CONVETION CLASS Pico hydro Micro hydro Mini hydro Small hydro Medium hydro Large hydro RANGE OF POWER up to 10 kw 10 to 100kW 100 kw to 1MW 1 MW to 10 MW 10 MW to 100 MW Above 100MW

5 WAY SMALL HYDRO SCHEMES HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT OF THE ENERGY MENU FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAMMES IN MOST COUNTRIES? - It requires high capital investment - technology dependence of poor countries - Existence of other technologies for small demands, which require lower capital investment, example diesel sets. - frequent reports on unsustainability of small isolated schemes due to lack of local capacity to operate and maintain hydro schemes) - most rural electrification policies rely heavily on grid extension

6 Practical Action approach 1) Appropriate technology 2) Appropriate approaches 4) Community organisation for a sustainable operation 5) Community participation, community management 6) Promotion of productive uses income generation and welfare 7) Advocacy for pro-poor changes at policy level

7 A) EXAMPLES OF TECHNOLOGIES ON CIVIL WORKS

8 COST REDUCTION ON CIVIL WORKS Low cost intakes The use of wood reduces installation costs and serves as fuses when high rain season comes, it requires low maintenance cost

9 COST REDUCTION ON CIVIL WORKS construction of low cost channels The use of wood frames helps to reduce the wall thickness; this reduces materials up to 50% comparing with conventionally made channels, it also reduces labour in similar proportion.

10 COST REDUCTION ON CIVIL WORKS Use of PVC for penstocks The use of commercial high pressure PVC of High density polyethylene pipes reduces cost of penstock to about 1/3 to steel made penstock

11 COST REDUCTION ON CIVIL WORKS Simple power houses using local materials Small power houses, using local materials and local labour can be very cheap

12 B) ELETROMECHANICAL EQUIPMENT DEVELOPED AND DISSEMINATED

13 COST REDUCTION ON ELECTROMECHANICAL EQUIPMENT MINI HYDRO SCHEMES (100kW TO 500kW) 5 different models of Pelton turbines 120 kw scheme, Sondor, Peru

14 COST REDUCTION ON ELECTROMECHANICAL EQUIPMENT MICRO HYDRO SCHEMES (10kW to 100kW) Technology developed and transfer, 3 different models of Pelton turbines, 1 propeller turbine, to cover the range of power

15 MICRO HYDRO SCHEMES (10kW to 100kW) Propeller turbines Prototype de 25kW installed in Las Juntas, Peru, 2000

16 COST REDUCTION ON ELECTROMECHANICAL EQUIPMENT PICO HYDRO SCHEMES (BELLOW 10 kw) Technology developed and transfer, 4 different models of Pelton turbines, 1 propeller turbine, to cover the range of power

17 PICO HYDRO SCHEMES (up to 10 kw) RIVER CURRENT PROTOTYPE INSTALLED IN THE AMAZON IN PERU 500W MACHINE, 2002

18 IMPROVING THE ACCESS TO OTHER SOCIAL AND WELFARE SERVICES

19 Examples of Productive uses milk chilling Carpentry Battery charging

20 Productive uses Chicken farms Ice making

21 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SAMLL HYDRO SCHEMES AGAINT LARGE ONES Small hydro schemes design is made for the run-off the river It is possible a community management use of local (national) technologies, hence lower cost very low environmental impact Large hydro schemes need large reservoirs for millions of cubic meters of water management by large companies all imported technology, hence expensive generally large impact

22 Lessons learned 1) In most developing countries and specially in the poorest ones there is a lack of capacity to manufacture and implement small scale hydro schemes. 2) Appropriate organisation and management is required in order to have sustainability of small hydro schemes 3) The cost per unit installed (kw) varies from US$ 1500 to US$ 3000 depending on the site conditions and the distance of the demand 4) Experience shows that a rate of 0.25kW per family copes with the demand of a medium to a wealthy rural family in rural areas 5) The use of appropriate technologies can reduce costs to ½ of micro hydro plants to ½ or even less comparing with those built using conventional technologies 6) In the lowest range of power (schemes bellow 10 kw), the cost of equipment can be as cheap as 1/3 to 1/5 using unconventional components, such as motors in reverse, pups as turbines, etc. 7) Small hydro power systems the option to promote productive uses, because the schemes can run 24 hours a day and the marginal cost are negligible. 8) In countries like, Peru, Nepal, Sri Lanka, after a programme of demonstration, dissemination and technology transfer, small hydro systems are produced locally and operated locally in a sustainable way.