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Tools for Small Hydropower Plant Resource Planning and Development: A Review of Technology and Applications

Author

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  • Petras Punys

    (Water and Land Management Faculty of the Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Kaunas, Akademija, 10 Universiteto Str., LT-53361, Lithuania)

  • Antanas Dumbrauskas

    (Water and Land Management Faculty of the Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Kaunas, Akademija, 10 Universiteto Str., LT-53361, Lithuania)

  • Algis Kvaraciejus

    (Water and Land Management Faculty of the Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Kaunas, Akademija, 10 Universiteto Str., LT-53361, Lithuania)

  • Gitana Vyciene

    (Water and Land Management Faculty of the Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Kaunas, Akademija, 10 Universiteto Str., LT-53361, Lithuania)

Abstract

This paper reviews and compares software tools for the planning and design of small hydropower (SHP) plants. The main emphasis is on small scale hydropower resource assessment computer tools and methodologies for the development of SHP plants corresponding to a preliminary or prefeasibility study level. The paper presents a brief evaluation of the historic software tools and the current tools used in the small hydro industry. The reviewed tools vary from simple initial estimates to quite sophisticated software. The integration of assessment tools into Geographic Information System (GIS) environments has led to a leap forward in the strengthening of the evaluation of the power potential of water streams in the case of the spatial variability of different factors affecting stream power. A number of countries (e.g., Canada, Italy, Norway, Scotland and the US) have re-assessed their hydropower capacities based on spatial information of their water stream catchments, developing tools for automated hydro-site identification and deploying GIS-based tools, so-called Atlases, of small-scale hydropower resources on the Internet. However, a reliable assessment of real SHP site feasibility implies some “on the ground” surveying, but this traditional assessment can be greatly facilitated using GIS techniques that involve the spatial variability of catchment characteristics.

Suggested Citation

  • Petras Punys & Antanas Dumbrauskas & Algis Kvaraciejus & Gitana Vyciene, 2011. "Tools for Small Hydropower Plant Resource Planning and Development: A Review of Technology and Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 4(9), pages 1-20, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:4:y:2011:i:9:p:1258-1277:d:13730
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Punys, Petras & Kasiulis, Egidijus & Kvaraciejus, Algis & Dumbrauskas, Antanas & Vyčienė, Gitana & Šilinis, Linas, 2017. "Impacts of the EU and national environmental legislation on tapping hydropower resources in Lithuania – A lowland country," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 495-504.
    6. Punys, P. & Adamonyte, I. & Kvaraciejus, A. & Martinaitis, E. & Vyciene, G. & Kasiulis, E., 2015. "Riverine hydrokinetic resource assessment. A case study of a lowland river in Lithuania," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 643-652.
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    10. Garegnani, Giulia & Sacchelli, Sandro & Balest, Jessica & Zambelli, Pietro, 2018. "GIS-based approach for assessing the energy potential and the financial feasibility of run-off-river hydro-power in Alpine valleys," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 709-723.
    11. Anita Kwartnik-Pruc & Aneta Mączyńska, 2022. "Assessing Validity of Employing Surveying Methods to Capture Data on Topography to Determine Hydrological and Topographic Parameters Essential for Selecting Locations for the Construction of Small Hyd," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-41, February.
    12. Mishra, Mukesh Kumar & Khare, Nilay & Agrawal, Alka Bani, 2015. "Small hydro power in India: Current status and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 101-115.
    13. Petras Punys & Linas Jurevičius, 2022. "Assessment of Hydropower Potential in Wastewater Systems and Application in a Lowland Country, Lithuania," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-23, July.
    14. Vincenzo Sammartano & Lorena Liuzzo & Gabriele Freni, 2019. "Identification of Potential Locations for Run-of-River Hydropower Plants Using a GIS-Based Procedure," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-20, September.
    15. Müller, Marc F. & Thompson, Sally E. & Kelly, Maggi N., 2016. "Bridging the information gap: A webGIS tool for rural electrification in data-scarce regions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 277-286.
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    17. Moiz, Abdul & Kawasaki, Akiyuki & Koike, Toshio & Shrestha, Maheswor, 2018. "A systematic decision support tool for robust hydropower site selection in poorly gauged basins," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 309-321.
    18. Tamm, Ottar & Tamm, Toomas, 2020. "Verification of a robust method for sizing and siting the small hydropower run-of-river plant potential by using GIS," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 153-159.
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    20. Abdelhady, Hazem U. & Imam, Yehya E. & Shawwash, Ziad & Ghanem, Ashraf, 2021. "Parallelized Bi-level optimization model with continuous search domain for selection of run-of-river hydropower projects," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 116-131.

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