Small hydropower. Small hydropower in the world Small hydropower

On the topic of small and micro hydropower, we maintain a separate information website www.microhydro.ru

Unconventional energy has recently received close attention around the world. The interest in using renewable energy sources - wind, sun, sea tide and river water - is easily explained: there is no need to purchase expensive fuel, it is possible to use small stations to provide electricity to hard-to-reach areas. The latter circumstance is especially important for countries in which there are sparsely populated areas or mountain ranges, where laying electrical networks is not economically feasible.

Two thirds of Russia's territory is not connected to the power grid

In Russia, zones of decentralized energy supply account for more than 70% of the country's territory. You can still find settlements here that have never had electricity. Moreover, these are not always settlements of the Far North or Siberia. Electrification did not affect, for example, some Ural villages - a region that can hardly be called disadvantaged in terms of energy. Meanwhile, electrification of remote and hard-to-reach populated settlements is not such a difficult matter. So, in any corner of Russia there is a river or stream where a micro-hydroelectric power station can be installed.

Small and micro hydroelectric power stations are small hydropower facilities. This part of energy production deals with the use of energy from water resources and hydraulic systems using low-power hydropower plants (from 1 to 3000 kW). Small-scale energy has developed in the world in recent decades, mainly due to the desire to avoid environmental damage caused by the reservoirs of large hydroelectric power stations, due to the ability to provide energy supply in hard-to-reach and isolated areas, as well as due to low capital costs in the construction of stations and quick return on investment (within 5 years).

Where can a small hydroelectric power station be installed?

The hydraulic unit of a small hydroelectric power station (SHPP) consists of a turbine, a generator and an automatic control system. Based on the nature of the hydro resources used, SHPPs can be divided into the following categories: new run-of-river or dam stations with small reservoirs; stations using the high-speed energy of the free flow of rivers; stations that use existing differences in water levels in a wide variety of water management facilities - from shipping facilities to water treatment plants (and now there is already experience in the use of drinking water pipelines, as well as industrial and sewage wastewater). Using the energy of small watercourses with the help of small hydroelectric power stations is one of the most effective areas for the development of renewable energy sources in our country. The main resources of small hydropower in Russia are concentrated in the North Caucasus, the Far East, the North-West (Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Kaliningrad, Karelia), Altai, Tuva, Yakutia and the Tyumen region.

Micro hydroelectric power stations (with a capacity of up to 100 kW) can be installed almost anywhere. The hydraulic unit consists of a power unit, a water intake device and an automatic control device. Micro hydroelectric power stations are used as sources of electricity for holiday villages, farms, hamlets, as well as for small industries in hard-to-reach areas - where it is unprofitable to lay networks.

Small-scale energy is in demand by only 1%

The technical and economic potential of small hydropower in Russia exceeds the potential of such renewable energy sources as wind, solar and biomass combined. Currently it is set at 60 billion kWh per year. But this potential is used extremely poorly: only 1%. Not so long ago, in the 1950-60s, we had several thousand small hydroelectric power stations in operation. Now - only a few hundred - the results of distortions in the pricing policy and insufficient attention to improving equipment designs and the use of more advanced materials and technologies have affected.

On the issue of ecology

One of the main advantages of small hydropower facilities is environmental safety. During their construction and subsequent operation there are no harmful effects on the properties and quality of water. Reservoirs can be used for fishing activities and as sources of water supply for the population. However, in addition to this, micro and small hydroelectric power stations have many advantages. Modern stations are simple in design and fully automated, i.e. do not require human presence during operation. The electric current they generate meets GOST requirements for frequency and voltage, and the stations can operate in autonomous mode, i.e. outside the power grid of the power system of the region or region, and as part of this power grid. And the full service life of the station is at least 40 years (at least 5 years before major repairs). Well, and most importantly, small-scale energy facilities do not require the organization of large reservoirs with corresponding flooding of the territory and colossal material damage.

About equipment manufacturers

In the 1990s, due to a reduction in the volume of large hydropower construction in Russia, enterprises such as JSC LMZ and JSC NPO CKTI (St. Petersburg), JSC Tyazhmash ( Syzran), etc. At the same time, small enterprises and joint-stock companies producing equipment for small hydroelectric power stations arose, including as part of the conversion. Among them, the most famous are JSC MNTO Inset and NPC Rand from St. Petersburg, and JSC Napor, JSC NIIES, JSC Energomash from Moscow. Among the equipment suppliers, it should also be noted that regional organizations that were once part of the All-Union Institute ‘Gidroproekt’. Currently on the Russian market there are complete hydraulic units with automatic control and regulation systems for networked and autonomous SHPPs with pressures from 1 to 250 meters, as well as non-standard hydromechanical and lifting equipment, pressure pipelines, pre-turbine valves, transformer substations, switchgears and other components , necessary for the construction of small-scale energy facilities. For small hydroelectric power plants using static pressure, hydraulic units with radial-axial, propeller, bucket, inclined and cross-jet, frontal hydraulic turbines of a simplified design are used. For small hydroelectric power stations using high-speed pressure, hydraulic turbines of the Darrieus, Wells, Savonius and other types are used. Generators for small hydroelectric power stations are produced by Elektrosila JSC (St. Petersburg), Ural-Electrotyazhmash JSC, Privod JSC ' (Lysva), JSC 'SEGPO' (Sarapul), JSC 'SEZ' (Safonovo), etc.

Nature gives us the most unpretentious way of producing energy. Alas, we almost never use it. We can only hope that in the future, with the development of small-scale production, the need to use the energy of Russia’s countless natural reservoirs will still arise.

Small hydroelectric power station ‘Chala’

Last fall, the St. Petersburg JSC MNTO Inset completed work on commissioning the Georgian small hydroelectric power station Chala with a capacity of 1500 kW (three hydroelectric units of 500 kW each). Construction of this station began a long time ago, in 1994, and the first hydraulic units were shipped back in 1995-1996. However, the completion of construction on time was prevented by the lack of funds from the customer - a distillery plant (the former 'Tears of the Vine' plant, well known on the Russian market). However, the station was needed not only by the plant: in the village located next to the small hydroelectric power station, there was no electricity until recently.

The peculiarity of the station is that it has hydraulic units with bucket turbines. Such hydraulic units have not been produced in Russia for about 30 years. They are designed for high pressures of a relatively small amount of water; it is advisable to install them in high mountainous regions: the republics of Transcaucasia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan, Chechnya, Karachay-Cherkessia. At the small hydroelectric power station 'Chala' (pressure of two hundred meters), 300 liters of water are sufficient to provide a power of 500 kW.

Precision casting technology was used in the production of the station's turbine buckets. They were manufactured at the plant named after. Klimova (St. Petersburg). The turbine units were manufactured in the turbine complex of Kirov-Energomash CJSC of the Kirov plant.

M.V. Dobrer, one of the best specialists of the Leningrad Metal Plant, supervised the work at the station - installation and commissioning of hydraulic units.

In the near future, the Inset company plans to install three more similar stations in Kabardino-Balkaria. Equipment has already been supplied to one of them - ‘Adyl-su’, with a capacity of 1200 kW.

Pavel Presnyakov

Let's talk about small hydroelectric power stations today. About those that are almost no longer in use, about those whose skeletons and dilapidated dams are found in various parts of our country.

How did they appear, why were they erected and why did they then en masse sink into oblivion, leaving behind only picturesque ruins and a few black and white photographs?

To understand, we will have to turn to the history of the development of the electric power industry in Russia, and we will start from the very beginning, when the first light bulbs of Tsarist Russia were lit.

In the late 70s - early 80s of the 19th century, with the invention of direct current generators and electric lamps, early projects of point electrification (or rather lighting and illumination) appeared.

Like any innovative project, electricity cost a lot of money, and appeared primarily where people were willing to pay the money. It is not surprising that the first lamps illuminated Nevsky Prospekt, Liteyny Bridge, the Kremlin, the Winter Palace and the Hermitage, and with them mini-power plants appeared nearby, consisting of several boilers, the steam of which rotated the turbines of dynamos.

A. P. Bogolyubov. Illumination of the Kremlin [on the occasion of the coronation of Alexander III]. 1883

By the end of the 80s, low-power generators appeared in factories, in prosperous stores, and in the homes of wealthy residents. At the same time, the first regional power plants (Georgievskaya, Gorodskaya, Universitetskaya, Dvortsovaya) were opened, serving specific facilities or consumers within a kilometer radius. Electricity is still used only for lighting, direct current flows through the wires, and there is no talk of any single power system.

Left. Georgievskaya power plant on Bolshaya Dmitrovka. Now the New Manege. 1903 Photo http://pastvu.com/
On right. Power plant of the Zhigulevsky brewery in Samara. 1898 Photo http://historical-samara.rf/

A new impetus to the spread of electricity was given by the first mass alternating current generators that appeared in the 90s of the 19th century. Their use made it possible to reduce transmission losses and, accordingly, increase the maximum length of the line and at the same time increase the power of stations.

The scope of use of electricity also expanded, industrial equipment began to switch to electric traction en masse, and tram lines opened in a number of cities. Until the end of the 19th century, several alternating current power plants were launched in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the power of which was already measured in megawatts.

Left. Cable laying on Sofiyskaya embankment. Photo http://so-l.ru/
Above. Tram on the street of Moscow. Photo http://so-l.ru/
From below. Turbine room of the power plant on Raushskaya embankment. 1911 Photo http://pastvu.com/

At the same time, the first hydroelectric power stations appeared. The Zyryanovsky mine in Altai is launching a 150 kW station for its own needs, and the Okhtinsky Powder Plant near St. Petersburg is building a hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 300 kW. The White Coal hydroelectric station, between Kislovodsk and Essentuki, brings electric light to the streets of adjacent resorts, drives trams and powers pumps that raise mineral waters.

Left. Hydroelectric power station on the Podkumok River. Postcard from the early 20th century.
On right. Hydroelectric power station of the Okhtinsky gunpowder plant. 1912 Photo http://pastvu.com/

During the first decade of the 20th century, the process of building urban power plants covered the regions of the Russian Empire, with power plants appearing in Kursk, Yaroslavl, Chita, Vladivostok and many other large cities. Capacities are growing, existing power plants are being modernized, electricity transmission mechanisms are being improved, electricity is finding more and more new areas of application.

By 1917, the capacity of all 78 hydroelectric power stations of the Russian Empire was about 17 MW, of which two (Alaverdin and Hindu Kush) had a capacity of over 1 MW. In addition, in the country there were up to two thousand small hydraulic turbine units operating on mechanical drives, and about 40 thousand mills with water wheels with an average power of 10 hp.

Left. Generators of the Hindu Kush hydroelectric power station - the most powerful hydroelectric station in the Russian Empire. Nowadays it is located on the territory of Turkmenistan. 1911 Photo by S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky.
On right. Water wheel of a small mill in Abkhazia

But if you were a resident of the village, then a candle and a torch still burned in your hut, manual drive dominated the farm, and the only means of mechanization was the horse.

The third stage of development of the electric power industry began under Soviet rule. Immediately after the revolution, the GOELRO (State Electrification of Russia) plan was developed and adopted, according to which the growing demands for electricity from the growing Soviet industry were to be provided at a faster pace by generating capacities.

Poster by A. Lemeschenko “GOELRO Plan” (from a triptych). 1967. Photo RIA Novosti archive, image #763450 / RIA Novosti / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17824956

It is important to note here that this process was completely natural, and not that under the tsar the country was with a plow, and then Lenin came, spread the situation and began building stations right and left. The authors of the plan were mostly the same specialists who held the corresponding positions under the tsar.

One way or another, the GOELRO plan provided for the construction over 10-15 years of 30 large power plants (20 thermal power plants and 10 hydroelectric power stations) in various regions of the country from the Urals to the Caucasus, designed to create an energy framework to provide electricity to enterprises under construction.

The Volkhov hydroelectric power station is one of the first hydroelectric power stations built according to the GOELRO plan. Photo by Wilson44691 - own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7055784

But it was supposed to solve the peasant’s problems with a candle and a torch, and to carry out the electrification of agriculture “on the basis of the widespread use of local energy resources, in particular the hydropower of small rivers.” This is what Channel One would have said if it had existed in those days.

But at the everyday level, everything was much simpler - until 1954, there were serious restrictions on connecting agricultural areas to state power systems, and in most cases, the only source of electricity in rural areas was those same small hydroelectric power stations.

As a rule, stations were built according to rather weak designs, often not taking into account real hydrological conditions. The materials were predominantly local; literally everything that came to hand was used, often to the detriment of quality. The equipment was not standardized and was manufactured by local factories, and the turbine, for example, could well have wooden blades.

Hydroelectric power station on the Protva River in the village. Borisovo, Mozhaisk district. Built in the 30s as part of the GOELRO plan. Photo http://pastvu.com/

It is no wonder that after the ban was lifted in 1954, most small hydroelectric power plants were decommissioned and dismantled, but quite a few were built. In the period before 1941, about 950 small hydroelectric power plants with an average power of 35 kW were launched, and in the post-war period their number increased to a maximum of 6614 in 1952. At the same time, the average power increased slightly, to the level of 40 kW.

Photo maxzhukov

A typical example of a pre-war wave station is the first small hydroelectric power station in the Lipetsk region, built in 1923 near the village of Kurapovo. The station operated only one water turbine of the Francis system, with bog oak blades, coupled with a 76 kW generator. The station operated until 1953, when the Troekurovskaya hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 500 kW was opened nearby. The remains of the dam and the “turbine room” box can still be seen on the Beautiful Sword.

In the early 50s of the 20th century, a course was set for the construction of larger, and therefore more economical and reliable, stations. The larger ones were called rural hydroelectric power stations (average power 440 kW), the smaller ones were called inter-collective farm hydroelectric power stations (about 300 kW). Only in 1951-1953. in different parts of the country, a little over a hundred of both were built. One of them was the Troyekurovskaya hydroelectric station mentioned above.

Temporary solutions have been replaced by a scientific approach. Hydropower resources of local importance and the possibility of their development were calculated, a separate structure “Giproselelectro” was created for the design of small stations, and the All-Union Institute of Hydraulic Machines developed a range of turbines for small hydroelectric power stations, the production of which was undertaken by the Shchelkovo plant and “Uralgidromash” (Sysert).

But the centralized energy supply did not stand still; by the 70s, dozens of large hydro and thermal power plants were put into operation, the shortage of energy resources was a thing of the past, and the construction of small hydroelectric power plants in the country practically stopped. Most of the operating small hydroelectric power plants were abandoned due to the relatively high cost of generated electricity and operational difficulties. It is their skeletons that we see in the outback along the banks of small rivers.

Photo victorborisov

Are there any prospects for small hydropower plants?

Of course there is, and above all in hard-to-reach areas rich in energy resources. For example, over the past 20 years, RusHydro has commissioned and reconstructed several dozen SHPPs, primarily these cascades of the Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkarian SHPPs.

If we are talking about the Central region, then everything is somewhat more complicated.

The minimum power from which it makes sense to operate SHPPs, taking into account the widespread availability of a unified energy system, is at the level of 1 MW. To ensure such indicators, pressure is required, which can only be created on the average river in the Central region by erecting a dam and creating a reservoir, which is not always possible.

Stations of smaller capacity, without a large reservoir, require either inclusion in the UES or the construction of a thermal station in the neighborhood. This is due to the fact that during certain periods the power generated by SHPPs can drop to zero. For example, in the middle of summer, water flow can be critically reduced, and during a spring flood, the pressure can decrease to zero due to a rise in the water level in the downstream.

There is, however, another path that was taken at the Yaropoletskaya HPP. The station was restored as a monument of architecture and cultural heritage, although it is not operational, but simply pleasing to the eye.

One way or another, I am for small hydroelectric power stations to survive. To hell with electricity, because hydroelectric power stations are simply beautiful :-)

Photo muph

Regular increases in electricity prices make many people think about the issue of alternative sources of electricity. One of the best solutions in this case is a hydroelectric power station. The search for a solution to this issue concerns not only the scale of the country. More and more often you can see mini-hydroelectric power plants for the home (dacha). The costs in this case will only be for construction and maintenance. The disadvantage of such a structure is that its construction is possible only under certain conditions. A water flow is required. In addition, the construction of this structure in your yard requires permission from local authorities.

Mini-hydroelectric power station diagram

Channel, characteristic of plains. They are installed on rivers with low flows.
Stationary ones use the energy of water rivers with fast flow of water.
Hydroelectric power stations installed in places where the water flow drops. They are most often found in industrial organizations.
Mobile, which are built using reinforced hoses.

For the construction of a hydroelectric power station, even a small stream flowing through the site is sufficient. Owners of houses with central water supply should not despair.

One of the American companies has developed a station that can be built into the water supply system of a home. A small turbine is built into the water supply system, which is driven by the flow of water moving by gravity. This reduces the flow rate of water, but reduces the cost of electricity. In addition, this installation is completely safe.

Even mini-hydroelectric power plants are installed in sewer pipes. But their construction requires the creation of certain conditions. Water through the pipe should flow naturally due to the slope. The second requirement is that the pipe diameter must be suitable for the installation of the equipment. And this cannot be done in a separate house.

Classification of mini-hydroelectric power plants

Mini-hydroelectric power plants (the houses in which they are used are mostly in the private sector) most often belong to one of the following types, which differ in the principle of operation:

The water wheel is the traditional type, which is the easiest to implement.
Propeller. They are used in cases where the river has a bed more than ten meters wide.
The garland is installed on rivers with a gentle flow. To increase the speed of water flow, additional structures are used.
The Darrieus rotor is usually installed in industrial enterprises.

The prevalence of these options is due to the fact that they do not require the construction of a dam.

Water wheel

This is a classic type of hydroelectric power station, which is most popular for the private sector. Mini-hydroelectric power plants of this type are a large wheel that can rotate. Its blades descend into the water. The rest of the structure is above the riverbed, causing the entire mechanism to move. The power is transmitted through a hydraulic drive to a generator that produces current.

Propeller station

On the frame in a vertical position there is a rotor and an underwater windmill, lowered under water. A windmill has blades that rotate under the influence of water flow. The best resistance is provided by blades two centimeters wide (with a fast flow, the speed of which, however, does not exceed two meters per second).

In this case, the blades are driven by the resulting water pressure rather than by it. Moreover, the direction of movement of the blades is perpendicular to the direction of flow. This process is similar to wind power plants, only it works underwater.

Garlyandnaya hydroelectric power station

This type of mini-hydroelectric power station consists of a cable stretched over a river bed and secured in a support bearing. Turbines of small size and weight (hydraulic rotors) are hung and rigidly fixed on it in the form of a garland. They consist of two half-cylinders. Due to the alignment of the axes when lowered into the water, a torque is created in them. This causes the cable to bend, stretch and begin to rotate. In this situation, the cable can be compared to a shaft that serves to transmit power. One of the ends of the cable is connected to the gearbox. The power from the rotation of the cable and hydraulic propellers is transmitted to it.

The presence of several “garlands” will help increase the power of the station. They can be connected to each other. Even this does not greatly increase the efficiency of this hydroelectric power station. This is one of the disadvantages of such a structure.

Another disadvantage of this species is the danger it creates for others. This kind of station can only be used in deserted places. Warning signs are required.

Rotor Daria

A mini-hydroelectric power station for a private house of this type is named after its developer, Georges Darrieus. This design was patented back in 1931. It is a rotor on which the blades are located. The required parameters are selected individually for each blade. The rotor is lowered under water in a vertical position. The blades rotate due to the pressure difference resulting from water flowing over their surface. This process is similar to the lift that makes airplanes take off.

This type of hydroelectric power station has a good efficiency indicator. Threefold advantage - the direction of flow does not matter.

The disadvantages of this include a complex design and difficult installation.

Advantages of mini-hydroelectric power plants

Regardless of the type of design, mini-hydroelectric power plants have a number of advantages:

They are environmentally friendly and do not produce substances harmful to the atmosphere.
The process of generating electricity takes place without creating noise.
The water remains clean.
Electricity is generated constantly, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions.
Even a small stream is enough to set up a station.
Excess electricity can be sold to neighbors.
You don't need a lot of permitting documentation.

Do-it-yourself mini hydroelectric power station

You can build it yourself to generate electricity. For a private home, twenty kilowatts per day is enough. Even a mini-hydroelectric power station assembled with your own hands can cope with this value. But it should be remembered that this process is characterized by a number of features:

It is quite difficult to make accurate calculations.
The dimensions and thickness of the elements are selected “by eye”, only experimentally.
Homemade structures do not have protective elements, which leads to frequent breakdowns and associated costs.

Therefore, if you do not have experience and certain knowledge in this area, it is better to abandon this kind of idea. It may be cheaper to purchase a ready-made station.

If you still decide to do everything yourself, then you need to start by measuring the speed of water flow in the river. After all, the power that can be obtained depends on this. If the speed is less than one meter per second, then the construction of a mini-hydroelectric power station in this location will not be justified.

Another stage that cannot be omitted is calculations. It is necessary to carefully calculate the amount of costs that will go into building the station. As a result, it may turn out that hydroelectric power is not the best option. Then you should pay attention to other types of alternative electricity.

A mini-hydroelectric power plant can be the optimal solution for saving energy costs. For its construction, there must be a river near the house. Depending on the desired characteristics, you can select a suitable hydroelectric power station option. With the right approach, you can even make such a construction with your own hands.

Small hydropower

Hydropower is the most developed area of renewable energy today, using the energy of falling water, waves and tides.

The main directions of hydropower development: restoration of old small hydroelectric power stations through major repairs and partial replacement of equipment; construction of new small hydroelectric power stations on reservoirs for non-energy (integrated) purposes, on industrial spillways; construction of damless hydroelectric power stations, which use the kinetic energy of a moving mass of water (current). Such stations, with a power of up to 10...25 kW, do not require large capital expenditures for construction, are environmentally friendly and convenient to use when supplying energy to low-power consumers located on the banks of rivers, in the presence of elevation differences on small streams (hose hydroelectric power stations), etc. In the presence of water flows, it is also promising to use water rams for water supply purposes, as well as the use of water wheels and low-power turbines to drive heat pump compressors.

Description of the operation of hydroelectric power plants

The source of hydropower is the converted energy of the Sun in the form of stored potential energy of water, which is then converted into mechanical work and electricity.

Indeed, under the influence of solar radiation, water evaporates from the surface of lakes, rivers, seas and oceans. The steam rises to the upper atmosphere, forming clouds; then it condenses and falls as rain, replenishing water supplies in reservoirs.

The conversion of potential water energy into electrical energy occurs at a hydroelectric power station. Maintaining a constant pressure is carried out using platinum, which forms a reservoir that serves as a hydropower accumulator. In this regard, during the construction of a hydroelectric power station, certain requirements are imposed on the terrain, which should allow the organization of a reservoir and the creation of the required pressure due to the dam. All this is associated with significant costs, and the cost of construction work may exceed the cost of hydroelectric power plant equipment. At the same time, the specific cost of electricity generated by hydroelectric power plants is the lowest compared to the cost of energy produced by other sources. As a rule, the payback period for small hydroelectric power plants does not exceed 10 years.

Fig.1. Engine station with hydraulic turbine

Hydraulic turbines are used to convert water energy into mechanical work (Fig. 1).

There are active and reactive turbines.

In an active turbine, the kinetic energy of the flow is converted into mechanical energy. Additional devices that ensure the operation of the turbine are a conduit and a nozzle. A jet with kinetic energy emerges from the nozzle, which is directed to the turbine blades in the air. The force acting on the blades from the jet causes rotation of the turbine wheel, with the shaft of which the electric generator is connected directly or through a drive. The efficiency of real turbines ranges from 50 to 90%. Low-power hydraulic turbines have lower efficiency.

The maximum efficiency value is 100%. It can be achieved if the jet, after interacting with the blades, moves vertically downward only under the influence of gravity.

The efficiency of an active hydraulic turbine can be increased by a limited increase in the number of nozzles, since with a large number of them the mutual influence of the jets will be affected.

In a jet turbine, the impeller is completely immersed in the flow, which constantly acts on the turbine blades. In the most common Francis turbine, the wheel rotates due to the difference in flow pressure at the inlet and outlet, water enters the impeller radially. The gap between the impeller and the chamber is variable. After the flow interacts with the wheel, it turns 90°. Variable clearance and flow rotation improves turbine efficiency.

There are other design solutions for jet hydraulic turbines, for example the Kaplan propeller turbine. However, this type of turbine is less common due to pressure drop.

Hydroelectric power plants come in a wide variety of capacities - from 3 kW to 12 GW. Small hydropower plants (also called micro-hydropower plants and rural hydropower plants) are hydroelectric power plants with an installed capacity of less than 500 kW. Their construction is usually carried out as an integral part of a complex, which also provides for the development of agricultural production, water supply and flow regulation.

Hydroelectric power plants and the living environment

Speaking about hydroelectric power plants, it should be noted that no other individual engineering structures have such a strong impact on nature as large reservoirs.

The reservoir supplies water not only to people, but also to the entire plant and animal world, which actively responds to new favorable conditions. This contributes to the emergence of new biological communities, the development of which was previously hampered by a lack of water (which is especially evident in small ponds built for the development of fisheries).

However, when objectively assessing changes in environmental conditions, it is impossible not to take into account some negative biochemical and limnological factors.

As is known, in stagnant water of reservoirs, oxygen exchange occurs much more slowly than in watercourses (rivers and streams). Getting into such water, chemical impurities can create such unfavorable stratigraphy in it (i.e., form stable layers of different composition) that biological life will become impossible, fish and many other aquatic organisms will die. And when such poisoned water is released into the river, the death of fish in the entire watercourse can occur.

Algae, which change the chemical composition of the water, are also dangerous for the reservoir. Rotting processes in water bodies of industrial areas are especially harmful and environmentally unfavorable.

In general, it can be considered that reservoirs have an environmentally beneficial effect on the environment, and negative factors are primarily due to the discharge of industrial waste and (to a lesser extent) the irresponsible behavior of a very large number of tourists and vacationers. As for the direct technological process of generating electricity at hydroelectric power stations, from an environmental point of view it is completely safe. Work on the construction of hydropower facilities should be designed with minimal damage to nature.

When developing construction plans, it is necessary to rationally choose quarries, road locations, etc. By the time construction is completed, the necessary work must be carried out to reclaim land disturbances and plant landscaping in the area.

For a reservoir, the most effective environmental protection measure is engineering protection. For example, the construction of embankment dams reduces the area of flooding and preserves land and mineral deposits for economic use, reduces the area of shallow waters and improves the sanitary conditions of the reservoir, and preserves natural complexes.

If the construction of dams is not economically justified, then shallow waters can be used for breeding birds and for other economic needs. If the required water levels are maintained, shallow waters can be used for fisheries, as spawning grounds and a food supply.

To prevent or reduce the processing of banks, bank protection is carried out. Enterprises, railways, residential and utility buildings, and ancient monuments are removed from the flood zone.

To ensure high water quality, sanitary cleaning of the reservoir bed is necessary before it is flooded with water. For this purpose, agrotechnical measures are taken to reduce polluted surface runoff and wastewater treatment plants are built.

The construction of large dams with power plants, as a rule, contributes to the conservation and enrichment of nature. Artificial lakes allow for the comprehensive use of water resources. The water not only powers the turbines, but also irrigates the vast surrounding lands and thereby supports agricultural development. Reservoirs soften sharp contrasts in weather and climate, help fight drought, and thousands of people rest on their banks.

Non-traditional energy is what the whole world is currently focusing on. And it's pretty easy to explain. High tides, low tides, sea surf, currents of small and large rivers, the Earth's magnetic field and, finally, wind - there are inexhaustible sources of energy, cheap and renewable energy, and it would be a big mistake not to take advantage of such a gift from Mother Nature. Another advantage of such energy is the ability to provide cheap electricity to hard-to-reach areas, say, high mountain areas or remote taiga villages, in other words, those settlements where it is impractical to lay a power line.

Do you know that 2/3 of Russia’s territory is not connected to the energy system? There are even settlements where there has never been electricity, and these are not necessarily villages in the Far North or endless Siberia. Electricity, for example, is not supplied to some settlements in the Urals, but these areas cannot be called disadvantaged in terms of energy. Meanwhile, electrification of hard-to-reach settlements is not such a difficult problem, because it is difficult to find a settlement where there is no river or at least a small stream - here is a way out of the situation. It is on such a stream, not to mention a river, that a mini hydroelectric power station can be installed.

So what are mini and small hydroelectric power plants? These are small stations that produce electricity by using the flow of locally available water resources. Hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of less than 3 thousand kilowatts are considered small. And they belong to small energy. Such energy has begun to develop rapidly in the last decade. Which in turn is associated with the desire to cause as little environmental damage as possible to nature, which cannot be avoided during the construction of large hydroelectric power plants. After all, large reservoirs change the landscape, destroy natural spawning grounds, block migration routes for fish, and most importantly, after some time they will definitely turn into a swamp. The development of small-scale energy is also associated with the provision of energy to hard-to-reach and isolated places, as well as with the rapid return on investment (within five years).

Typically, a small hydroelectric power plant (SHPP) consists of a generator, a turbine and a control system. SHPPs are also divided by type of use; these are primarily dam stations with reservoirs that occupy a small area. There are stations that operate without the construction of a dam, but simply due to the free flow of the river. There are stations for the operation of which already existing water drops, either natural or artificial, are used. Natural drops are often found in mountainous areas; artificial drops are common water management facilities, from structures adapted for navigation to water purification complexes, including drinking water pipelines and even sewage drains.

Small hydropower in its technical and economic capabilities exceeds such sources of small energy as stations using wind energy, solar energy and bioenergy stations combined. Currently, they can produce approximately 60 billion kWh per year, but, unfortunately, this potential is used extremely poorly, by only 1%. Until the end of the 60s, thousands of SHPPs were in operation; today there are several hundred of them. All these are consequences of the distortions of the Soviet state related to pricing policy and more.

But let’s return to the issue of environmental consequences during the construction of SHPPs. The main advantage of small hydroelectric power plants is complete safety from an environmental point of view. The properties of water, both chemical and physical, do not change during the construction and operation of these facilities. Reservoirs can be used as reservoirs for drinking water and for fish farming. But the main advantage is that for SHPPs it is not at all necessary to build large reservoirs that cause enormous material damage and flooding of large areas.
In addition, such stations have a number of other advantages: they are simple in design and the possibility of full mechanization; during their operation, human presence is not at all necessary. The generated electricity complies with generally accepted standards, both in voltage and frequency. The autonomy of such a station can also be considered a big plus. SHPPs also have a long service life - 40 years or more.

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