Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.6.
Tungu-Kabri micro-hydro power project in Kenya. At bottom left is the
diversion that brings water to the small power station. Small projects may provide poor
communities in rural areas with an affordable, easy to maintain solution to their energy
needs.
Source:
www.practicalaction.com
.
They can provide power to an isolated home or small community and are usually not
connected to a power grid. In countries such as Nepal and Nigeria that have a low rate of
electrification and an inefficient grid, but large and untapped hydropower resources, small
hydro projects are more appropriate than large dams for meeting energy demands. The
United Nations estimates that each new micro-hydro system supports forty new businesses
(UNDP
2012
).
Micro-hydrosystemsarealsofrequentlyusedinconjunctionwithsolarsystems,because
in tropical and subtropical regions, dark rainy seasons (good for hydropower) are followed
by hot dry ones (good for solar).
Pumped Storage
In addition to its use in generating electricity, hydro also plays an important role in energy
storage. This involves humans assuming the role normally played by the sun, as water is
pumped uphill and held in a reservoir.
Though this process entails a net loss of energy, at present it is the most effective way
of storing energy on a large scale. It makes sense economically for two main reasons.
