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Small hydro is hydroelectric power on a scale serving a small community or industrial plant. The definition of a small hydro project varies but a generating capacity of up to 10 megawatts (MW) is generally accepted as the upper limit. This may be stretched to 25 MW and 30 MW in Canada and the United States.
Hydroelectric power plants vary in terms of the way they harvest energy. One type involves a dam and a reservoir . The water in the reservoir is available on demand to be used to generate electricity by passing through channels that connect the dam to the reservoir.
Small power plant of Licq-Athérey (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France). An 1895 hydroelectric plant near Telluride, Colorado.. Small hydro is the development of hydroelectric power on a scale suitable for local community and industry, or to contribute to distributed generation in a regional electricity grid. [1]
There are also small and somewhat-mobile forms of a run-of-the-river power plants. One example is the so-called electricity buoy, a small floating hydroelectric power plant. Like most buoys, it is anchored to the ground, in this case in a river. The energy within the moving water propels a power generator and thereby creates electricity.
Low-head hydro power refers to the development of hydroelectric power where the head is typically less than 20 metres, although precise definitions vary. [1] Head is the vertical height measured between the hydro intake water level and the water level at the point of discharge.
Micro hydro is a type of hydroelectric power that typically produces from 5 kW to 100 kW of electricity using the natural flow of water. Installations below 5 kW are called pico hydro . [ 1 ] These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community, or are sometimes connected to electric power networks, particularly where ...
A run-of-river plant may still produce a large amount of electricity, such as the Chief Joseph Dam on the Columbia River in the United States. [91] However many run-of-the-river hydro power plants are micro hydro or pico hydro plants. Much hydropower is flexible, thus complementing wind and solar, as it not intermittent. [92]
A pico hydro system made by the Sustainable Vision project from Baylor University [1]. Pico hydro is a term used for hydroelectric power generation of under 5 kW. These generators have proven to be useful in small, remote communities that require only a small amount of electricity – for example, to power one or two fluorescent light bulbs and a TV or radio in 50 or so homes. [2]