IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v60y2013icp88-97.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Learning from experience: A survey of existing micro-hydropower projects in Ba'Kelalan, Malaysia

Author

Listed:
  • Murni, S.
  • Whale, J.
  • Urmee, T.
  • Davis, J.K.
  • Harries, D.

Abstract

Rural electrification to help rural communities improve their quality of life needs to be designed in a sustainable manner with the intention of keeping village culture and environment from eroding. Micro-hydropower systems (MHS), especially run-of river schemes, are examples of renewable energy projects that, if managed well, can be socially and environmentally sustainable. This paper presents the results of a field survey conducted in Ba'Kelalan, in Sarawak, Malaysia, where several MHS have been implemented by various funding agencies using different planning mechanisms as well as different design and operational procedures. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were used in a case study comparison of two MHS in Ba'Kelalan based on criteria such as system loads, electricity tariff, the level of community involvement in the project, and the arrangements put in place for maintenance. Several barriers to sustainability were found in the operation and maintenance of the MHS due to a lack of knowledge by unskilled operators. The key lessons learnt from the case study are that sustainable development of MHS requires financial and load distribution management at the beginning of the project, as well as capacity building for both operation and maintenance personnel, as well as the community.

Suggested Citation

  • Murni, S. & Whale, J. & Urmee, T. & Davis, J.K. & Harries, D., 2013. "Learning from experience: A survey of existing micro-hydropower projects in Ba'Kelalan, Malaysia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 88-97.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:60:y:2013:i:c:p:88-97
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2013.04.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148113002255
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2013.04.009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Urmee, Tania & Harries, David, 2011. "Determinants of the success and sustainability of Bangladesh’s SHS program," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(11), pages 2822-2830.
    2. Dudhani, Surekha & Sinha, A.K. & Inamdar, S.S., 2006. "Assessment of small hydropower potential using remote sensing data for sustainable development in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(17), pages 3195-3205, November.
    3. Hosseini, S. M. H. & Forouzbakhsh, F. & Rahimpoor, M., 2005. "Determination of the optimal installation capacity of small hydro-power plants through the use of technical, economic and reliability indices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(15), pages 1948-1956, October.
    4. Kirubi, Charles & Jacobson, Arne & Kammen, Daniel M. & Mills, Andrew, 2009. "Community-Based Electric Micro-Grids Can Contribute to Rural Development: Evidence from Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 1208-1221, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mosier, Thomas M. & Sharp, Kendra V. & Hill, David F., 2016. "The Hydropower Potential Assessment Tool (HPAT): Evaluation of run-of-river resource potential for any global land area and application to Falls Creek, Oregon, USA," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 492-503.
    2. Kumar, Deepak & Katoch, S.S., 2016. "Environmental sustainability of run of the river hydropower projects: A study from western Himalayan region of India," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 599-607.
    3. Apichonnabutr, W. & Tiwary, A., 2018. "Trade-offs between economic and environmental performance of an autonomous hybrid energy system using micro hydro," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 891-904.
    4. Abhi Chatterjee & Daniel Burmester & Alan Brent & Ramesh Rayudu, 2019. "Research Insights and Knowledge Headways for Developing Remote, Off-Grid Microgrids in Developing Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    5. Mandelli, Stefano & Barbieri, Jacopo & Mereu, Riccardo & Colombo, Emanuela, 2016. "Off-grid systems for rural electrification in developing countries: Definitions, classification and a comprehensive literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1621-1646.
    6. Poudel, B. & Parton, K. & Morrison, M., 2022. "The drivers of the sustainable performance of renewable energy-based mini-grids," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 1206-1217.
    7. Mayeda, A.M. & Boyd, A.D., 2020. "Factors influencing public perceptions of hydropower projects: A systematic literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    8. Subedi, Mukti Nath & Bharadwaj, Bishal & Rafiq, Shuddhasattwa, 2023. "Who benefits from the decentralised energy system (DES)? Evidence from Nepal’s micro-hydropower (MHP)," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    9. Poudel, B. & Maley, J. & Parton, K. & Morrison, M., 2021. "Factors influencing the sustainability of micro-hydro schemes in Nepal," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mahwish Siraj & Humayun Khan, 2019. "Impact of Micro Hydropower Projects on Household Income, Expenditure and Diversification of Livelihood Strategies in Azad Jammu and Kashmir," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 58(1), pages 45-63.
    2. Mishra, Sachin & Singal, S.K. & Khatod, D.K., 2011. "Optimal installation of small hydropower plant—A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 3862-3869.
    3. Aslan, Yilmaz & Arslan, Oguz & Yasar, Celal, 2008. "A sensitivity analysis for the design of small-scale hydropower plant: Kayabogazi case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 791-801.
    4. Teegala Srinivasa Kishore & Epari Ritesh Patro & V. S. K. V. Harish & Ali Torabi Haghighi, 2021. "A Comprehensive Study on the Recent Progress and Trends in Development of Small Hydropower Projects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-31, May.
    5. Sarah Feron, 2016. "Sustainability of Off-Grid Photovoltaic Systems for Rural Electrification in Developing Countries: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-26, December.
    6. Kelly-Richards, Sarah & Silber-Coats, Noah & Crootof, Arica & Tecklin, David & Bauer, Carl, 2017. "Governing the transition to renewable energy: A review of impacts and policy issues in the small hydropower boom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 251-264.
    7. Jichun Liu & Yangfang Yang & Yue Xiang & Junyong Liu, 2019. "A Power Exchange Strategy for Multiple Areas with Hydro Power and Flexible Loads," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-17, March.
    8. , Diego, 2017. "The Natural and Infrastructural Capital Elements of Potential Post-Electrification Wealth Creation in Kenya," SocArXiv ddnhz, Center for Open Science.
    9. Domenech, B. & Ferrer-Martí, L. & Pastor, R., 2015. "Including management and security of supply constraints for designing stand-alone electrification systems in developing countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 359-369.
    10. Yi, Choong-Sung & Lee, Jin-Hee & Shim, Myung-Pil, 2010. "Site location analysis for small hydropower using geo-spatial information system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 852-861.
    11. Giacomo Falchetta & Nicolò Stevanato & Magda Moner-Girona & Davide Mazzoni & Emanuela Colombo & Manfred Hafner, 2020. "M-LED: Multi-sectoral Latent Electricity Demand Assessment for Energy Access Planning," Working Papers 2020.09, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    12. Ardizzon, G. & Cavazzini, G. & Pavesi, G., 2014. "A new generation of small hydro and pumped-hydro power plants: Advances and future challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 746-761.
    13. Nathanael Ojong, 2022. "Fostering Human Wellbeing in Africa through Solar Home Systems: A Systematic and a Critical Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-15, July.
    14. Fujii, Tomoki & Shonchoy, Abu S. & Xu, Sijia, 2018. "Impact of Electrification on Children’s Nutritional Status in Rural Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 315-330.
    15. Antoine Boche & Clément Foucher & Luiz Fernando Lavado Villa, 2022. "Understanding Microgrid Sustainability: A Systemic and Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-29, April.
    16. Domenech, B. & Ferrer-Martí, L. & Pastor, R., 2015. "Hierarchical methodology to optimize the design of stand-alone electrification systems for rural communities considering technical and social criteria," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 182-196.
    17. Islam, Asif M. & Amin, Mohammad, 2023. "The gender labor productivity gap across informal firms," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    18. Rahman, Md. Mizanur & Hasan, Mohammad Mahmodul & Paatero, Jukka V. & Lahdelma, Risto, 2014. "Hybrid application of biogas and solar resources to fulfill household energy needs: A potentially viable option in rural areas of developing countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 35-45.
    19. Francesco Tonini & Francesco Davide Sanvito & Fabrizio Colombelli & Emanuela Colombo, 2022. "Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, March.
    20. Aparna Katre & Arianna Tozzi, 2018. "Assessing the Sustainability of Decentralized Renewable Energy Systems: A Comprehensive Framework with Analytical Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:60:y:2013:i:c:p:88-97. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.