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The Tungu-Kabiri community hydro project. The Tungu-Kabri micro-hydro power project in Kenya is a cheap, sustainable and small-scale technology that harnesses the energy of falling water to make electricity. Photo: microhydropower.net.

Micro hydroelectric power is different from typical hydroelectric power because it doesn't attempt to significantly interfere with the flow of the river. Typically rated at a maximum capacity of 300 kW hours, the micro hydro systems don't dam rivers, but instead divert a stream of water that flows downhill through a pipeline dropping into the turbine. The turbine then generates electricity which can be stored in batteries and transported to where villagers may need it most.

Suitable conditions

Looking specifically at small hydropower development, the following barriers can be identified:

• Policy and regulatory framework: Unclear or non-existent policies and regulations to govern the development of small hydropower. In some countries hydropower developments under a certain threshold are not regulated at all, while in other countries it might be part of a broader regulatory framework for rural electrification in general. Generic frameworks often lack clarity on a number of hydropower-specific issues such as access to water, ownership of water infrastructure, and the related issue associated payments to use this infrastructure.

• Financing: More than other sources of renewable energy, hydropower developments (even small ones) are faced with high up-front costs and low operations and maintenance costs, something most available financing models do not favor. Nearly all of the new developments on the continent are relying in one form or the other on donor financing. Development of alternative financing models, including tapping into alternative funding sources, is needed to facilitate small hydro developments.

• Capacity to plan, build and operate hydropower plants: National and regional knowledge and awareness on the potential of small hydro for rural electrification is missing or very minimal. This includes knowledge at political, government and regulatory entities, as well as knowledge on local production of parts and components.

• Data on hydro resources: Linked to the limited knowledge about the technology is the lack of proper resource data on water availability and flow on which hydro developments can be based.

Costs

In the examples examined in the five countries, the capital cost13 of micro hydro plants, limited to shaft power, ranged from US$714 (Nepal, Zimbabwe) to US$1,233 (Mozambique). The average cost is US$965 per installed kW which is in line with the figures quoted in some studies. The installed costs for electricity generation schemes are much higher. The installed cost per kW ranged from US$1,136 (Pucará, Peru) to US$5,630 (Pedro Ruiz, Peru) with an average installed cost of US$3,085.

An important observation is that the cost per installed kilowatt is higher than the figures usually cited in literature. This is partly due to the difficulty analysts have in establishing full costs on a genuinely comparative basis. A significant part of micro hydro costs can be met with difficult to value labour provided by the local community as ‘sweat equity’. Meaningful dollar values for local costs are difficult to establish when they are inflating and rapidly depreciating relative to hard currencies. In addition, there is little consistency in the definition of boundaries of the systems being compared, for instance, how much of the distribution cost, or house wiring, is included, how much of the cost of the civil works contribute to water management and irrigation, and so forth.

Field experiences

• There are approximately 130 MHP plants66 currently in operation in Sri Lanka. Most are less than 100 kW in capacity.
• The Tungu-Kabiri community hydro project.

Reference manuals, videos, and links

• The Rise of Micro-Hydro Projects in Africa.
• Video: Micro Hydro Turbines: The Expert.
• Small Scale Hydro: Here are some good references for planning, designing, and building a micro-hydro system. The first step is to carefully determine if you have a hydro resource that is worth developing -- some of the references cover how to do this in detail.

Acknowledgements

Smail Khennas and Andrew Barnett, BEST PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF MICRO HYDRO POWER IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, Department for International Development, UK. March 2000.