Micro-hydro Plant Research Articles

Optimasi LFC (Load Frequency Control) Pada Mikrohidro Menggunakan Metode ACO-ANFIS dan BA-ANFIS

Micro-hydro Power Plant is a small-scale power plant. Micro-hydro plants are built with enough water potential to generate electrical energy. A common problem with micro-hydro generating systems is that the output of the generator is not constant. This is caused by changes in connected loads. Thus causing frequent fluctuations in the frequency and voltage of the system that can cause damage to electrical equipment. Because it is used Load Frequency Control (LFC) to control the frequency can be more stable. To obtain optimal control parameters on micro hydropower systems used by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). ANFIS data is retrieved from training data of PID controllers tuned using Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and Bat Algorithm (BA). This study compared uncontrolled methods, PID-ZN control methods, PID-ACO method, PID-BA, PID-ACO-ANFIS, and PID-BA-ANFIS obtained the best control method. The result of this research is the control method of PID-ACO-ANFIS is the best control method with overshoot 0.00 and the fastest settling time is 0.00. The results showed that the smallest overshoot (0) in the PID-ACO-ANFIS model, the smallest undershoots (1,12x10-5) in PID-ACO-ANFIS and the fastest settling time (3.77 seconds) in the starting also at PID-ACO-ANFIS. The results of this study will be tried bengan other methods, which results may be better

An Experimental Investigation of Various Control Systems for an Archimedes Screw Turbine in a Micro-Hydropower Plant

The control system for a micro-hydropower plant using an Archimedes screw turbine is the focus of this work. Three control systems were implemented based on a Barreda micro-hydropower plant (Spain) currently in operation: an optimal water level control (OWLC) system, a maximum power point monitoring (MPPT) system, and a water level control (WLC) system. The comparison was made using several assessment indicators: electricity production, micro-hydropower plant efficiency, and gearbox fatigue. The electricity production is similar in the OWLC and MPPT systems (energy gain +0.5%) and significantly lower in the WLC system (energy gain −12%). The efficiency of the micro-hydro plant is similar in the OWLC and MPPT systems (average efficiency gain +0.9%) and significantly lower in the WLC system (average efficiency gain −15%). The mechanical stress on the gearbox is similar in the OWLC and WLC systems and significantly higher in the MPPT system. It can be concluded that the OWLC system performs better as concerns the three assessment indicators used, followed by the MPPT system. The WLC system is not recommended for use, due to its low electricity production and low efficiency of the micro-hydropower plant.

Low-capacity decentralized electricity systems limit the adoption of electronic appliances in rural Nepal

The adoption and use of electronic appliances generally contribute to higher productivity and thus are key to ameliorate living standards of rural households. A wide range of decentralized electricity systems has been used to power remote parts of Nepal. How these systems facilitate the adoption of electronic appliances, is a question under explored in the existing energy policy literature. This study bridges this gap by comparing the electronic appliance adoption among households that use micro-hydropower and solar home systems against traditional lighting solutions and grid electricity in Nepal. Applying the two-stage least-square method to data from Nepal's population and household census of 2011, we found solar home systems do not increase the use of high-wattage electronic appliances such as televisions and fridges when compared to kerosene, but micro-hydro plants and grid electricity do. This finding indicates that low-capacity electricity sources like solar home systems appear to be limited to facilitate the adoption of high-wattage electronic appliances. It is recommended that energy access policies should look beyond providing basic access to electricity for lighting and prioritize the provisioning of electricity sources that support the use of high-wattage electricity appliances.

Integrated Engineering, Environmental, and Economical Modelling of Micro Hydro Plant (MHP) Production

The use of renewable energy has commonly concentrated on energy production through wind engines and solar panels. Nowadays, the micro-hydropower (MHP) plant has a great challenge as an important contributor to energy systems. Indonesia has the potential natural resources to develop that power plant, in the form of the river where is abundant throughout all provinces. The research aims to address solving issues regarding deficit energy by renewable energy production. The environmental and hydrological approaches were used to determine the location to obtain the optimal and proper utilization of MHP. The analysing from all modelling creates an economical assessment of MHP energy production. The result recommends MHP with the capacity of 2 x 4.0 MW and a total discharge of 14.30 m3/second whereas design flood discharge is 813.47 m3/second (Q100 year). The implementation of MHP is an effort to achieve independent energy in the region.

Assessment of Materials Used in Penstock in Small Hydro Power by TOPSIS Method

There are three kinds of energy resources: fossil fuels, renewable resources, and nuclear resources. An impulse or response turbine is used in a small hydropower (SHP) facility, which is mostly a "run-off-river" in nature. SHP technologies are being employed to generate power for rural electrification in both wealthy and undeveloped nations, and they have minimal maintenance costs and assist to slow down climatic change (but high capital costs). Research When compared to fossil and nuclear fuels, hydropower constitutes a considerable source of electrical energy today. Hydro resources are also widely available. In many countries, small, mini, and micro-hydro plants are crucial for rural electrification and have the fastest turnaround time for any renewable energy source. This allows them to quickly replace fossil fuels. Selecting the right materi-al plays a crucial part in product design to satisfy all functional criteria. Design is the formulation of data or information, both quantitative and qualitative, where there is always some element of risk and uncertainty. A probabilistic or utilitarian strategy is best adapted to deal with risk and uncertainty. MCDM approach in this study, TOPSIS is utilized to choose the components of the tiny hydropower penstock. The analysis took into account four alternative materials, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethene (HDPE), glass-reinforced polymer (GRP), and mild steel (MS), as well as five as-sessment attributes/criteria, including yield strength, life, thickness, material cost, and maintenance cost. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ranked two, high-density polyethene (HDPE) has rank one, glass-reinforced polymer (GRP) has rank four and mild steel (MS) is having rank three. According to the findings of this investigation, the best materials for penstock in small hy-dropower are high-density polyethene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), followed by mild steel (MS), and glass-reinforced polymer (GRP).

Mapping the potential energy of micro-hydroelectric power in Limboto watershed

The use of river water flow energy for electricity generation has been widely developed to meet the electricity needs of the community. Reality in the field indicates that most of the micro-hydro power plants that are built in the river flow cannot be relied upon to meet the electrical energy needs of the community, especially in remote areas. Many micro-hydro plants cannot operate for a long time and even have a damaged condition. This is because the construction of the power plant has not gone through the proper planning and assessment process of the potential of the river flow energy to be able to operate the power plant continuously. This study aims to find out the potential of the perennial river flow energy through the hydrological modeling technique. The energy of the perennial river flow can be approached due to the amount of rain discharge in the catchment area and the components of the watershed system that affect the water flow. To determine the value of river discharges, it is carried out through the analysis of the dependable flow of the river. The results showed that the electrical energy that can be produced in Alo River is 192.55 KW, in Bionga River is 136.45 KW, in Batulayar River is 408.67 KW, in Marisa River is 147.44 KW, and in Talumelito River is 81.22 KW.

Prospects of Hybrid Renewable Energy-Based Power System: A Case Study, Post Analysis of Chipendeke Micro-Hydro, Zimbabwe

Fossil fuel-based energy sources are the major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and thus the use of renewable energy (RE) is becoming the best alternative to cater for the increasing energy demand in both developing and developed nations. Chipendeke is a rural community in Zimbabwe, in which electricity demand is partially served by the only micro-hydro plant and hence, load shedding is a regular practice to keep essential services running. This study explored a suitable opportunity to identify a feasible system with different energy sources that can fulfill the current and projected future load demand of the community. A techno-economic feasibility study for a hybrid RE based power system (REPS) is examined considering various energy sources and cost functions. Six different system configurations have been designed with different sizing combinations to identify the most optimum solution for the locality considering techno-economic and environmental viability. The performance metrics considered to evaluate the best suitable model are; Net Present Cost (NPC), Cost of Energy (COE), Renewable Fraction (RF), excess energy and seasonal load variations. In-depth, sensitivity analyses have been performed to investigate the variations of the studied models with a little variation of input variables. Of the studied configurations, an off-grid hybrid Hydro/PV/DG/Battery system was found to be the most economically feasible compared to other configurations. This system had the lowest NPC and COE of $ \$ $ 307,657 and $ \$ $ 0.165/kWh respectively and the highest RF of 87.5%. The proposed hybrid system could apply to any other remote areas in the region and anywhere worldwide.

Contribution of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) in Climate Resilient Approach and SDG 7

Renewable energy can contribute to adaptation to climate change, mitigation and development and may play an important role in resilient development ambition of Nepal. It has been emphasized in Nepal's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and climate change policy but its potential impact on SDGs era has not been fully explored and implemented. The study used employed energy system modelling by using optimization software, reviewed literature and interacted with various experts.
 It has been found that renewable energy technologies (RETs) provide socio-economic and environmental benefits to people that contribute to adopting and ensuring a better adaptation to climate change based on the local context. They contribute to adaptation processes by contributing to reducing the vulnerability of people, improving adaptive capacity, and minimizing climate change risk in line with SDG 7. But these are not without challenges either. Financial, technical, institutional, policy and legal issues are major challenges to promote RETs. This study shows that theoretically altogether 4.45 million tons of CO2e of the GHG emission can be mitigated per year if all the remaining technical potential of deploying seven major RETs consisting of biogas, improved water mill, stand-alone micro-hydro plants, mini-grid micro-hydro plants, solar PV home systems, mud-ICS and metal-ICS were installed after 2012. Considering the average annual installation of these RETs, altogether 30.71 million tons of CO2e can be mitigated between the periods of 2013 to 2030 at an annual additional installation equal to average installation done in recent past three years. The initial technology investment required for implementing the above mentioned RETs ranges from NRs 97 to NRs 23,247 per ton of CO2e mitigation. This indicates that though a moderate level of the initial investment is required for promoting RETs, the GHG mitigation potential seems to be quite promising. There is no liberty of inaction, so RETs can be a good case for a triple win strategy to address mitigation – adaptation – development nexus for climate compatible development in Nepal.

Planning of Hybrid Micro-Hydro and Solar Photovoltaic Systems for Rural Areas of Central Java, Indonesia

This paper proposes the planning of hybrid micro-hydro and solar photovoltaic system for rural areas of Central Java, Indonesia. The Indonesian government has paid great attention to the development of renewable energy sources, especially solar and hydropower. One area that has a high potential for both types of energy is the province of Central Java, located on the island of Java, Indonesia. In this research, we conduct field research to determine the ideal capacity of solar and micro-hydro hybrid power plants, electricity load analysis, and optimal design of hybrid power plants. Data on the potential of micro-hydro plants are obtained by direct measurement on the Ancol Bligo irrigation channel located in Bligo village, Ngluwar district, Magelang regency, Central Java province, Indonesia. Data on solar power potential were obtained from NASA’s database for solar radiation in the Central Java region. Hydropower potential data include channel length, debit, heads, and power potential in irrigation channels originating from rivers. These data are used to design an optimal hybrid power plant. The method used to obtain the optimal design of a hybrid power plant system is based on the analysis of capital costs, grid sales, cost of energy, and net present cost. Based on the parameters of the analysis, the composition of the optimal generator for the on-grid scheme to the distribution network can be determined. The results showed that hybrid power plants were able to meet the needs of electrical energy in the villages around the power plant and that the excess energy could be sold to national electricity providers.

Value Engineering For the Optimisation of Micro-Hydro Power Plant in Kampung Assum, Sarawak

Most rural locations in East Malaysia are not electricity grid connected. These places rely heavily on high-cost diesel fuels for generating electric power, which can be environmentally unfriendly. Most of all, this situation hampered the potential growth in terms of economic productivity and developments in these rural locations. However, with the vast network of streams and rivers available in Sarawak, there are high prospective of constructing micro-hydro power plant as electricity generating alternative. Efforts and studies on micro hydro power plants have been put in place. However, there exists a gap in the field of study of optimized design and construction of micro-hydropower system. This project proposed a Value Engineering (VE) study in the civil and structure sections of micro-hydro plant in Kampung Assum, Sarawak in order to achieve high functional value for the facility. Based on the literature review several VE methodologies are adopted and modified in order to achieve the objectives of this study. VE Job Plan was utilized as the backbone of this research study framework. VE calculation modelling is produced and conventional micro-hydro power plant is designed using the modelling as control baseline design. Ideas to further optimise and improve the value of the micro-hydro system are generated and evaluated, which are then compared with the control baseline design. Several cycles using the proposed VE methodology are repeated to determine the most prominent idea, which can uplift the functional value of the micro-hydro system significantly. Determination of value for micro-hydropower system is dependent on the cost incurred and the efficiency of the civil and structural components as a whole. The chosen idea is then used to the next development phase which notable changes in parameters of micro-hydro civil structures are further determined to improve the value. In this study, evaluating the micro-hydro civil components as a whole with adjustments made to modify the overall output data are discovered to be the prominent idea. From this study, the optimisation proposed could improved the functional value of the micro-hydro power plant in Kampung Assum by a significant 17%.

LADRC applied to variable speed micro-hydro plants: Experimental validation

To track the maximum power of a hydraulic turbine, the rotational speed needs to be adapted to flow rates variations, enabling higher speed tracking demands. Moreover, a Variable Speed Micro-Hydro Plant (VS-MHP) is a complex nonlinear system affected by large uncertainties. Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) can estimate and compensate the total disturbances in real-time, achieving higher robustness. A Linear-ADRC (LADRC) with the torque compensation is implemented to the speed control loop of a VS-MHP, which is tested under a real-time power Hardware-In-the-Loop benchmark. Experimental results prove its advantages for VS-MHP applications.

Rural Electrification in Central America and East Africa, two case studies of sustainable microgrids

This paper deals with the electrification of rural villages in developing countries using Sustainable Energy Systems. The rural electrification feasibility study is done using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable PRO (HOMER PRO). The HOMER PRO energy modeling software is an optimization software improved by U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It helps in designing, comparing and optimizing the design of power generation technologies.In this paper, two rural electrification case studies are modelled and analysed using HOMER PRO. Technical and economic evaluation criteria are applied to study the feasibility of a micro-hydro plant in El Díptamo, Honduras, and a hybrid plant composed of photovoltaic panels arrays, an electrical generator, and flow batteries, in a small island on Victoria Lake. For both cases, we show the results of the studies of daily and yearly load, of the resources available in the area and the economic evaluation of the chosen plants configuration.

Optimasi Load Frequency Control (LFC) Pada Sistem Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Mikro Hidro Berbasis PID-ANFIS

Microhydro Power Plant is a small-scale power plant. Microhydro plants are built in areas where there is no power grid.In areas with sufficient water potential to generate electrical energy. The problem that often occurs in the micro-hydro generator system is the occurrence of non-constant generator. This is caused by changes in connected loads. Thus causing frequent fluctuations in the frequency of the system that can cause damage to electrical equipment. Therefore used Load Frequency Control (LFC) in order to control the frequency can be more stable. To get the optimal control parameter in micro hydro power plant system is used an Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) method. ANFIS data is taken from PID controller training data. By using PID-ANFIS control method, microhydro generating system can accelerate settling time and minimize overshoot.

Integer programming to optimize Micro-Hydro Power Plants for generic river profiles

Abstract This paper addresses the problem of designing an optimal micro-hydro power installation in rivers with generic profiles, when micro-hydro schemes are studied. This is geared towards the application of Micro-Hydro Power Plants to supply marginal isolated areas using small Pelton wheels, where both technology and resources are limited. For this purpose, a model of a Pelton micro-hydro plant is first developed. Subsequently, a discretization of the river profile is made, on the basis of which a set of integer variables are proposed, being the model transformed then into an integer optimization problem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is showed through a specific design problem. The application of the developed method is especially interesting when designing micro-hydro plants to provide electricity to isolated populations, where both technology and resources are limited.

Peak Demand Management in Micro Hydro using Battery Bank

Millions of Nepali inhabit in a far-flung hamlet of Nepal, where the extension of national grid is unlikely even in the new future. Isolated Micro-hydro power plants are extensively used in these areas. This paper addresses the problem of deficient electricity during peak period in existing conventional micro-hydro plants by the introduction of battery storage in the plant. Micro-hydro plant with battery bank storages surplus power, which would be wasted in case of conventional micro-hydro plant, during off- peak period and supplies during peak period. The control strategies for Electronic Load Controller (ELC), three - phase ac/dc converter and buck converter are realized in Matlab Simulink environment. The simulated system was able to store surplus power into battery bank when load demand was less than power generated by Synchronous Generator (SG) and supply when the load demand was higher than generator’s generation. This model can be implemented in the already existing micro-hydro plants where the load demand for a short time has increased beyond generation capacity of generator. HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water Energy and EnvironmentIssue No: 22Page: 34-40Uploaded date: January 14, 2018

Feasibility analysis of micro hydro plant at nawangan village of pacitan district

<p class="Abstract">Nawangan Village of Pacitan District utilizes Kedung Pasang Micro Hydro Plant (MHP) as a power source, but the existing electricity power unable suffice the demand so it needs revitalization by calculating the new unit price and debit because of the previous reference already invalid. The problem is that the investment required for the construction of the MHP must provide benefits for a certain period. This study analyzed the ratio of power and energy potential of MHP with changes in pipe diameter and speed of existing turbines, and calculated the cost. The available power is currently at 112.5 kW and energy is 82150.66 kWh. The results of the analysis show that the power increase can be done up to 142,95 kW a year or equivalent 218%, the energy can be done up to 139.427 kWh a year, meanwhile the benefit is Rp44.566.169, increase Rp26.604.588,- from existing condition or equivalent 148,1% which is done by changing the diameter of penstock and the turbine. Economic analysis of Kedung Pasang MHP development plan shows NPV of Rp6.717.110,- that is greater than 0, the value of IRR is 11% greater than the interest rate set by Bank Negara Indonesia 46 of 10,25% and BCR value of 1,19 is greater than 1, thus the revitalization of Kedung Pasang MHP feasible to be implemented.</p>

Influences of Non-Financial Factors and the Sustainability of Micro Hydro Plants in Malawi

The paper evaluates the influence of non-financial factors on the financial sustainability of micro hydro plants (MHPs) in Malawi. It uses case study methodology conducted through interviews triangulated with archival data. The findings suggest the significant role played by non-financial factors on determining the quantity of financing and on long-term financial sustainability for MHPs. This may imply that the difficulties to design suitable sustainable financing models for MHPs may to some extent be attributable to non-financial factors. Therefore when deciding on the appropriate financial measures to address the problem of financial sustainability and in developing financing models of MHPs, consideration should be given to the underlying non-financial factors.

Modeling and Analysis of Double Stator Slotted Rotor Permanent Magnet Generator

This paper discusses the modeling and analysis of three phase double stator slotted rotor permanent magnet generator (DSSR-PMG). The use of double stator topology through the double magnetic circuit helps to maximize the usage of flux linkage in the yoke structure of the single stator topology. The analytical computation is done using Permeance Analysis Method (PAM). Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used for numerical verifications and to verify the design structure a prototype laboratory is performed. The analysis is done with various loading conditions to derive the electromagnetic torque, output power and efficiency for the proposed structure. The analytical, numerical and experimental results from the analysis are found to be in good agreement. The maximum power developed by this generator at rated speed of 2000 rpm is of 1 kW with the operational efficiency of 75%. A rectifier bridge circuit is used to make the generated voltage a storage capable constant voltage to make it suitable for mobile applications (such as Direct Current DC generator). The proposed generator structure is highly recommended for applications such as micro-hydro and small renewable plants.

Experimental activity at test rig validating correlations to select pumps running as turbines in microhydro plants

The use of hydraulic pumps running as turbines offers several advantages with respect to traditional turbines. The possibility of predicting the performances of a pump running as a turbine and of selecting the suitable machine for a given hydropower site, in an easy and reliable way, is a still open issue.The present work makes a contribution to the solution of this subject both through experimental and theoretical activities. The experimental activity is carried out by the characterisation of 12 pumps measured, at test rig both in their natural operation, as pumps and in reverse mode, as turbines. The numerical activity starts from the definition of correlations regarding the heads and capacities conversion factors, useful for the preliminary selection of a suitable pump to run as turbine in a microplant for a given hydropower site. Then, a statistical method involving polynomials was implemented, allowing the performance curves to be provided. The agreement between experimental data and numerical results is comparable to that obtained by others authors.Finally, a comprehensive procedure has been set up, refining the selection by evaluating likewise if the efficiency of the selected pump to use as a turbine, at operating point of the proposed plant, is acceptable.The results related to a study case are shown with the aim to highlight the easiness of the proposed method, having in mind that it does not represent the generality of the possible applications of pumps running as turbines.

Set-up of a pump as turbine use in micro-pumped hydro energy storage: a case of study in Froyennes Belgium

Its maturity makes pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) the most used technology in energy storage. Micro-hydro plants (<100 kW) are globally emerging due to further increases in the share of renewable electricity production such as wind and solar power. This paper presents the design of a micro-PHES developed in Froyennes, Belgium, using a pump as turbine (PaT) coupled with a variable frequency driver (VFD). The methods adopted for the selection of the most suitable pump for pumping and reverse mode are compared and discussed. Controlling and monitoring the PaT performances represent a compulsory design phase in the analysis feasibility of PaT coupled with VFD in micro PHES plant. This study aims at answering technical research aspects of µ-PHES site used with reversible pumps.