Lecture 7

Hydro power counts for

• 16% of Global Electricity production.
• 3,427 terawatt-hours of electricity production in 2015.
• Expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the next 25 years.
Asian pacific region (Hydro-power)
• Generating 32 percent of global hydropower in 2015.
• China is the largest hydroelectricity producer, with 721 terawatt-hours of
production, representing around 17 percent of domestic electricity use.

Advantages of Hydropower System

There are many advantages of Hydropower system, as follows:-

• Hydropower relies on the water cycle, which is driven by the sun, thus it's a renewable power source.
• Hydropower is a fueled by water, so it's a clean fuel source.
• Hydropower doesn't pollute the air like power plants that burn fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas.
• Hydropower is generally available as needed; engineers can control the flow of water through the
turbines to produce electricity on demand.
• Hydropower plants provide benefits in addition to clean electricity.
Flood Control.

Disadvantage of Hydropower System

There are some disadvantages of Hydropower system as well such as:-

• Hydropower can impact water quality and flow.
• Hydropower plants can cause low dissolved oxygen levels in the water, a problem that is harmful to
riparian (riverbank) habitats and is addressed using various aeration techniques, which oxygenate the
water.
• Maintaining minimum flows of water downstream of a hydropower installation is also critical for the
survival of riparian habitats.
• New hydropower facilities impact the local environment and may compete with other uses for the
land.
What ARE Hydro Electric power Plants

Hydropower plants exploit water's energy and use simple mechanics to convert that energy into electricity.
Hydropower plants are actually based on a rather simple concept –
Hydropower transforms the potential energy of the mass of water flowing in the river or stream with a certain
vertical fall (termed as the head).

water flowing through a dam turns on a turbine, which turns a generator which convert mechanical energy
into electrical energy

Basic components of conventional hydro electric power plant

• Dam. Dam Requirements
• In-Take. • Maximum Flood
• Penstock Level
• Turbine. • Minimum Head
• Generator. • Basin (catchment area)
• Transformer. • Spillways
• Power Lines. • Power Tunnel
• Out Flow. • Irrigation Tunnel
• Control Gates. • Siphon Canal
 Hydrologic Cycle
• evaporating from lakes and oceans, forming clouds, precipitating as rain or snow, then
flowing back down to the ocean.

• The energy of this water cycle, which is driven by the sun, can be tapped to produce
electricity or for mechanical tasks like grinding grain.
• Hydropower uses a fuel—water—that is not reduced or used up in the process. Because the
water cycle is an endless, constantly recharging system, that why hydropower is considered
as a renewable energy.

Hydro power system follows the “Hydrologic cycle.”

• 1) Water changes states as it is moved around the planet by wind currents. Wind currents
are generated by the heating activity of the sun. Air-current cycles are created by the sun
shining more on the equator than on other areas of the planet.
• 2) Air-current cycles drive the Earth's water supply through a cycle of its own, called
the hydrologic cycle. As the sun heats liquid water, the water evaporates into vapor in the
air. The sun heats the air, causing the air to rise in the atmosphere. The air is colder higher
up, so as the water vapor rises, it cools, condensing into droplets. When enough droplets
accumulate in one area, the droplets may become heavy enough to fall back to Earth
as precipitation.

• The hydrologic cycle is important to hydropower plants because they depend on water
flow. If there is a lack of rain near the plant, water won't collect upstream. With no water
collecting up stream, less water flows through the hydropower plant and less electricity is
generated.
 Cost of Hydro- power
• The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source
of renewable electricity. The average cost of electricity from a hydro plant
larger than 10 megawatts is about 3 to 5 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour.
• Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct
waste, and has a considerably lower output level of the greenhouse
gas carbon dioxide (CO2) than fossil fuel powered energy plants.

Power Calculation
• Before a hydroelectric power site is developed, engineers compute how much
power can be produced when the facility is complete. The actual output of
energy at a dam is determined by volume of water released (discharge) and
the vertical distance the water falls (head).

• So, a given amount of water falling a given distance will produce a certain
amount of energy.

• The head and the discharge at the power site and the desired rotational
speed of the generator determine the type of turbine to be used.

• The head produces a pressure (water pressure), and the greater the head, the
greater the pressure to drive turbines. This pressure is measured in pounds of
force (pounds per square inch).
• Higher head or faster flowing water means more power.
 Lectutre 8

Types of Hydropower system

• run-of-river based
• Reservoir based.
• Pumped storage.
• In stream
The load Curve:
The graph which shows the variation of load on the power

Run-of-River:
Run of river is facility, channels a portion of a river through a canal and/or a penstock to utilize the natural
decline of the river bed elevation to produce energy.

Reservoir Based
• Most common type of hydroelectric power system
• Typically a large hydropower system, uses a dam to store river water in a reservoir.
• Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a
generator to produce electricity.
• The water may be released either to meet changing electricity needs or to maintain a constant
reservoir level.

Transmission line – conduct electricty ultimately to homes and businesess

Dam – Stores water

Pentstock- Carries water to the turbines

Generators – rotated by the turbines to generate electricity

Turbines – turned by the force of the water on their blades

Cross srction of conventional hydropower facility that uses an impoundment dam

Instead ofd using a running stream,water is stored in a reservoir which may be used whenever required. This
decouples generation from timing of rainfall and glacial melt.

For example: rain water could be stored in large reservoir and later used for generation.
 • When the demand for electricity is low, a pumped storage facility stores energy by pumping
water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir.
• During periods of high electrical demand, the water is released back to the lower reservoir to
generate electricity.
• Using a reversible turbine, the plant can pump water back to the upper reservoir. This is done
in off-peak hours. Essentially, the second reservoir refills the upper reservoir. By pumping
water back to the upper reservoir, the plant has more water to generate electricity during
periods of peak consumption.

A pumped-storage plant has two reservoirs:

• Upper reservoir - Like a conventional hydropower plant, a dam creates a reservoir. The water
in this reservoir flows through the hydropower plant to create electricity.
• Lower reservoir - Water exiting the hydropower plant flows into a lower reservoir rather than
re-entering the river and flowing downstream.

Sizes of Hydropower systems

• Large Hydropower system
Capacity of more than 50 megawatts.
• Medium Hydropower system:-
Capacity of 10 MW to 50 MW.
• Small Hydropower System:-
Capacity of 100KW-10MW
• Mini Hydropower system
Above 100 kW, but below 1 MW
• Micro Hydropower System:-
Maximum capacity upto 100KW.
• Pico Hydropower System:-
From a few hundred watts up to 5kW

Micro hydro power plant

Micro hydro is a type of hydroelectric power that typically produce up to 100 kw of electricity using the
natural flow of water.
These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community, or are sometimes connected to
electric power networks.
There are many of these installations around the world, particularly in developing nations as they can provide
an economical source of energy without the purchase of fuel.