Guide on how to develop a small hydropower plant

Developing a small hydropower site is not a simple task. There are many aspects which have to be taken into consideration, covering many disciplines ranging from business, engineering, financial, legal and administration. These will all be necessary at the different development stages, from choosing a site until the plant goes into operation.

This guide, divided into nine chapters, brings together all of these aspects in a step-by-step approach, and helps a potential small hydropower developer understand better the different issues, phases and procedures required to be followed to run a small hydropower plant. The first chapter introduces basic concepts, such as the definition of small hydropower, types of schemes, or ways of exploiting the water resource available, and gives a general overview of the guide’s contents. The following chapters describe the essential steps to be followed to evaluate a proposed scheme before deciding whether to proceed to a detailed feasibility study.

The main concepts addressed in the guide are the following:

• Topography and geomorphology of the site.
• Evaluation of the water resource and its generating potential.
• Site selection and basic layout.
• Hydraulic turbines and generators and their control.
• Environmental impact assessment and mitigation measures.
• Economic evaluation of the project and financing potential.
• Institutional framework and administrative procedures to obtain the necessary consents.