Determination of operating parameters of turbines for micro hydroelectric power plants for optimal use of hydropower

Abstract

Energy trends have been mostly focused on renewable energy sources in recent years. In the world, about 20% of electricity is produced using energy of water flows, ie. hydropower with a total installed power of 720 GW. The production of hydroelectric power has a number of advantages from fossil fuels or nuclear energy and the greatest is that it does not pollute the environment. In mountainous areas, small and micro hydro power plants are often used, which can be installed on small rivers or streams with little or negligible impact on the environment. The choice of the type of turbine is influenced by a number of parameters, which should be determined before the complete project of the micro hydroelectric power plant. For turbines that are most commonly used in micro hydroelectric power plants, the process of determining operating parameters for optimal utilization of available hydro power is presented in the paper.