Designing and Building Mini and Micro Hydro Power Schemes

Small hydro power installations have the potential to provide a renewable supply of energy to people in remote, hilly communities, far from the national gird. This book is based on the authors' considerable experience of installing hydroelectric schemes that produce up to 500kW for powering small communities. The book describes not only the electro-mechanical equipment and how it is installed, but also the correct setting of the installation and how to design and build the channels leading up to the turbine so as to optimize performance. These civil works can be carried out by local manpower, using materials that are usually available locally. Chapters cover the main components of small hydroelectric plants from the intake and the headrace channel, via the conveyance channel, to the forebay tank, penstock, turbine, and generator. This practical manual is a major new addition to the resources available for micro-hydro power project and programme managers worldwide and represents excellent value for such a detailed technical reference handbook.

'This book's strength is that it is based on years of experience out in the field of designing micro hydro systems that work.' Dr Arthur Williams, School of Electrical Electronic Engineering, The University of Nottingham, UK. 'For remote communities lucky enough to live near hill streams or rivers, micro-hydro power is the most cost effective way of generating electricity. And it is clean energy. But it takes years of experience and skill to design the weirs, canals and spillways that are needed. Experienced practitioners take you through the whole design process, with drawings and calculations, so that anyone with good practical building skills can learn enough from the many years of knowledge crammed into this instruction book to build a solid scheme, without over-spending.' Ray Holland, Manager, EU Energy Initiative, Partnership Dialogue Facility