MINI-HYDRO WATER USE APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

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Marco Mancini
 INDEX

MINI-HYDRO WATER USE APPLICATION DOCUMENTS........................................................................... 1

1. General description of the site. ............................................................................................... 1
1.1 Cartography..................................................................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Geological Study ......................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Gross and net head evaluation ....................................................................................... 1
1.2.1 Gross Head (HG).......................................................................................................... 2
1.2.2 Net Head (HN).............................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Stream flow evaluation .................................................................................................... 3
1.3.1 Stream flow records..................................................................................................... 4
1.3.2 Regionalized Stream flow............................................................................................ 4
1.3.3 The Flow duration curve (FDC) ................................................................................... 4
1.3.4 Residual or compensation flow [DMV]........................................................................ 5
1.3.5 Design Flood [QF] ........................................................................................................ 5
1.4 Plant capacity and energy output .................................................................................... 6
2. Technical description of the project ....................................................................................... 8
2.1 Diversion structure .......................................................................................................... 8
2.1.1 Weir ............................................................................................................................. 8
2.1.2 Residual flow device.................................................................................................. 10
2.1.3 Fish passageway....................................................................................................... 10
2.1.4 Spillway and energy and dissipation structures......................................................... 11
2.2 Conveyance structure ................................................................................................... 12
2.2.1 Intake......................................................................................................................... 12
2.2.2 Channels, canals or tunnels ...................................................................................... 13
2.2.3 Penstock.................................................................................................................... 13
2.2.4 Tailrace...................................................................................................................... 13
2.3 Power house ................................................................................................................. 14
2.3.1 Inlet gate or valve ...................................................................................................... 14
2.3.2 Turbine and control system ....................................................................................... 14
2.3.3 Generator and speed increaser (if needed)............................................................... 15
2.3.4 Protection systems and dc emergency supply .......................................................... 15
2.3.5 Substation.................................................................................................................. 16
3. Economic and financial analysis........................................................................................... 16
3.1 Investment and costs for installed capacity ................................................................... 16
3.1.1 Initial investment cost ................................................................................................ 16
3.1.2 Operation and maintenance cost............................................................................... 17
3.2 Benefits due to generation ............................................................................................ 17
3.2.1 Tariffs......................................................................................................................... 17
3.2.2 Incentives .................................................................................................................. 17
3.3 Cash flow forecast analysis ........................................................................................... 18
3.4 Methods of economic evaluation ................................................................................... 19
3.4.1 Time value of money ................................................................................................. 19
3.4.2 Payback method........................................................................................................ 19
3.4.3 Return on Investment method ................................................................................... 19
3.4.4 Net Present Value (NPV) method.............................................................................. 20
3.4.5 Benefit-Cost ratio[BCR]. ............................................................................................ 20
3.4.6 Internal Rate of Return method [IRR] ........................................................................ 20
4. Environmental impact study. ................................................................................................. 21
4.1 Environmental general description of the site................................................................ 21
4.2 Impacts identification ..................................................................................................... 21
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 4.2.1 Impacts during construction....................................................................................... 22
4.2.2 mpacts during operation ............................................................................................ 23
4.2.3 Impacts from the electric line..................................................................................... 23
4.3 Environmental impacts mitigation.................................................................................. 23
5. Grid connection characteristics. ........................................................................................... 23
6. Land properties information. ................................................................................................. 24
7. Supporting documents........................................................................................................... 24
7.1 Construction schedule................................................................................................... 24
7.2 Developer information ................................................................................................... 25
8. Maps Drawings and Reports.................................................................................................. 25
8.1 MAPS AND DRAWINGS: .................................................................................................... 25
8.1.1 Site Plan .................................................................................................................... 25
8.1.2 Topographic map of the Existing site conditions ....................................................... 25
8.1.3 Proposed site plan..................................................................................................... 25
8.1.4 Engineering and Detailed drawings........................................................................... 25
8.2 REPORTS:....................................................................................................................... 25
8.2.1 General Report. ......................................................................................................... 25
8.2.2 Hydrological and Hydraulic Study.............................................................................. 25
8.2.3 Geotechnical Report.................................................................................................. 25
8.2.4 Environmental Stydy.................................................................................................. 25
8.2.5 Economic and Financial Analysis .............................................................................. 25
9. REFERENCES:............................................................................................................................. 26

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 MINI-HYDRO WATER USE APPLICATION DOCUMENTS.
In all countries of the European Union the development of mini hydro power plants require
a water use permission from the water authorities. The procedure for acquiring this permission
varies from one country to another, but in general, applications should include a technical
description of the project to be analyzed by the authority in charge of the decision of approving
the implementation of the plant.
This guide lines aims at giving to the water authorities comprehensive information and
advice to evaluate the technical items of the applications for mini-hydro developments and to
choose among different solutions for the same site.
The documents to include in the application file should give all the necessary details about
the project together with the technical and economic feasibility studies and the environment
impact incidences and assessment. Hereafter the different items that should be studied and
described in a mini-hydro project are briefly discussed.

1. General description of the site.

In this chapter a general topographic and geomorphologic description of the site should be
presented together with an evaluation of the water resource availability and its generating
potential, as well as a detailed description of the project, indicating the type of the proposed
scheme (Run - off rive scheme; powerhouse located at the base of a dam, integrated power
house on a canal or in a water supply pipe), and the main characteristics of each one of the
components. Moreover any particular constraints of the site and /or environmental sensitivities
should be stated herein.

1.1 Cartography.
Application should include maps at scale 1:5000 - 1:25000 in which the
diversion works, the conveyance device, the penstock, the powerhouse and the
tailrace should be precisely located. The geographic coordinates of the different
devices should be also indicated.

1.1.1 GEOLOGICAL STUDY

Geological studies are needed to prevent regrettable consequences due to
seepage under the weir, open channel slides or other geologic stability problems.
Geomorphologic studies should be carried out to demonstrate the stability of
the ground along the weir foundation and its corresponding reservoir (when
present) and along the powerhouse foundation. In these analysis variation of water
level on the reservoir’s wetted slopes should be considered.
Special attention should be paid to the channel design and a minimum
geomorphologic study of the terrain should be done to assure the stability of this
structure along the whole path, specially in high mountain schemes in which often
the surface zone is affected by different geomorphologic features such as soil
creep, rotational and planar soil slides and rock falls.
Geological study at this level of the project can be done by means of
Photogeology at scales from 1:10 000 to 1:5 000 that allow the geologist to identify
rock types, determine geologic structures, and detect slope instability.
Results can be delivered as geomorphologic maps, at the same mentioned
scales, in which all the surface formations affecting the proposed hydraulic
structures should be shown. Photographs of the zone after field surveying are
desirable

1.2 Gross and net head evaluation

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 The vertical fall of the water is known as the “head”. It is essential for
hydropower generation. In hydroelectric practice two types of head are defined:
Gross head (HG) and Net head (HN).

1.2.1 GROSS HEAD (HG)

The gross head (HG) is the vertical distance that the water falls through in
giving up its potential energy. It is measured between the upper and lower water
surface levels at the intake and tailrace of the scheme. Sites where the gross head
is less than 10 m are classified as “low head”, from 10m to 100m as “medium
head” and above 100 m as “high head”. Except for very low heads, the gross head
can usually be considered as constant.
In high head projects the gross head can be measured directly from the
maps. In low head schemes instead, field measurements of the gross head for
different flow-rates are usually necessary. These measurements should be carried
out using surveying topographical techniques. The precision required in the
measurement depend on the magnitude of the head. Smaller values of gross head
require higher precision.

1.2.2 NET HEAD (HN)

The net head (HN) is the actual head seen by a turbine which is slightly less
than the gross head due to losses developed along the path, from the diversion to
the tailrace, when transferring the water into and away from the machine. The net
head is obtained by subtracting to the gross head the sum of all these losses.
The losses that should be considered in the Net head estimation are of two
types:
• Friction losses (hf): Developed along the conveyance and the tailrace devices
due mainly to the wall roughness. These losses can be calculated by means of one
of the well known empirical formulae such as the Manning equation:
V2
hf = L 4
1.
K 2R 3
where hf [m] is the total head loss due to friction, L [m] is the length of the water
path form the intake to the end of the tailrace, K [m1/3/s] is the Strickler roughness
coefficient which depends on the material of the pipe or channel and R [m] is the
hydraulic radius, given by the ratio A/P with A [m2] wetted area and P [m] wetted
perimeter.

1/3
Material Strickler K [m /s]
Welded steel 70 - 90
Polyethylene (PE) 100 - 110
PVC 100 - 110
Asbestos cement 90 - 100
Ductile iron 60 - 70
Cast iron 70 - 75
Wood-stave (new) 75 - 80
Concrete (steel forms smooth finish) 65 - 70
Clean excavated earth channels 40 - 50
Stony or Cobbles 25 - 30
Gravelly 30 - 35

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 Friction losses in pipes larger than 5 cm diameter with flow velocities under 3 m/s
can be also obtained by the Hazen-Williams formulae :

1.85
L ⎛V ⎞
hf = 6.87 ⎜C ⎟ 2.
D1.165 ⎝ ⎠

where hf [m] is the total head loss due to friction, L [m] is the length of the pipe,
C[m1/3/s] is the Hazen-Williams coefficient which depends on the pipe material and
D [m] is the pipe diameter.

Pipe Material Hazen Williams C

New uncoated steel 150
Riveted steel 110
Asbestos cement 140
Plastic pipes 135 - 140
New cast iron 130
Old cast iron 90 -105
Wood-stave (new) 120
Concrete (steel forms smooth finish) 140

• Minor or local losses (∆h): In addition to friction losses, water flowing through a
conveying system develop head losses due to geometric changes of channel or
pipe at the inlet and outlet cross sections, at trash racks, bends, elbows, joints,
valves and at sudden contractions or enlargements. These losses depend on the
velocity head and are expressed as the product of an experimental coefficient δ
multiplied by the kinetic energy head:.
V2
Δh = δ 3.
2g
where Δh [m] is the local head loss, V [m/s] is the flow velocity, g [m/s2] gravity
acceleration and δ is an experimental coefficient usually given by the device
manufacturer.

1.3 Stream flow evaluation

A site can be considered as topographically suitable for hydropower if there
is an adequate water supply. To estimate the water potential one needs to know
the variation of the discharge throughout the year, though it is necessary to collect
and analyze the available hydrologic data and to perform a Hydrological analysis.
In the best case, the interested stream is provided with gauging stations
where flow time series data have been gathered regularly over several years.
Unfortunately, most of the watercourses suitable for mini-hydro plants are
ungauged, thus, observations of discharge over a long period are not available and
hydrological methods should be used to predict stream flow.
Hydrological analysis should produce the so called Flow Duration Curve or
FDC which is the best way of expressing the variation in river flow over the year.
Moreover the hydrological study must address not only to water availability for
production, but also to the definition of the residual flow for environmental or
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 aesthetic purposes and to the frequency and severity of floods so as to design
flood protection and control devices into the scheme.

1.3.1 STREAM FLOW RECORDS

When the interested river is gauged the evaluation of the generating potential
should be done by means of the stream flow time series of at least 10 years. All
data used to estimate the stream flow should come from certified agencies such as
a national hydrological institute or any other world meteorological organisation.
Usually there is not a gauging station in the stretch of the river where the
diversion structure of the mini-hydro development is proposed. Although, it is
possible to use records of other stretches of the same river or a similar nearby
river. These flow records can be used to assess stream flow at the proposed site,
as long as due allowance is made for the actual site location in relation to the
gauging station. For the reconstitution of the time series for the referred stretch it
should be then necessary to specify the hydrological method used to put in relation
both sites and the main hydrological characteristics of both catchments (area,
permeability and slope) and stretches (latitude and altitude) .

1.3.2 REGIONALIZED STREAM FLOW.

If no data is available it is possible to use hydrological methods, called also
regionalized methods, that are based on long-term rainfall and evaporation records
and on discharge records for similar catchment areas.
Since the regionalization methods are aimed to represent long-term
hydrologic behaviour on different time scale basis, through the analysis of
homogeneous zones of climate, topography, soil, and vegetation, they are reliable
only if applied to given zones to predict flow at a given time scale. The use of these
methods allows initial conclusions to be drawn on the overall hydraulic potential
without taking actual site observations, but require an accurate study of the method
and its applicability. In the case regionalization methods are used to estimate the
stream flow, once the project looks likely to be feasible, it is recommended to follow
this up with site measurements to asses at least the mean annual flow value.

1.3.3 THE FLOW DURATION CURVE (FDC)

Stream flow data given as an annual hydrograph simply shows the day-by-
day variation in flow over a calendar year. From this hydrograph the Flow duration
curve (FDC) can be obtained by organising the daily data by magnitude instead of
chronologically.
FDCs of natural rivers are often very similar in a region, but can be affected
by soil conditions, vegetation cover, and to a lesser extent by catchment shape.
They are also modified by man-made reservoirs, abstractions and discharges.
Nevertheless, if the FDC for another stretch of the same river is known, it is
possible to get the FDC in the stretch of interest by extrapolation, using the ratio of
areas of the respective catchments, as long as due allowance is made on the
specific characteristics of soil, vegetation and man made devices.
Standardised FDCs, developed by statistical analysis of available records
from neighbouring rivers of similar topographical character in a similar climate, are
very useful in evaluating stream flows at ungauged sites. These kind of methods
can be used only if developed by certified institutions.
If the mini-hydro development is planned to operate only during given
seasons of the year, FDCs should be produced for those periods of time, say for
six winter months or/and six summer months, by extracting the flow records for the
particular period from each year and treating these data as the whole population.
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 The FDC should show how flow is distributed over a period (usually a year).
The vertical axis giving the flow, while the horizontal axis gives the percentage of
the year or period, or the number of days in a year or period that the flow exceeds
the value given on the y-axis.

EXAMPLE OF FLOW DURATION CURVE[FDC]

200
180
160
140
Flow (m3/s)

120
100
80
60
40
20 Total available water volume

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percent time flow equalled or exeeded (%)

1.3.4 RESIDUAL OR COMPENSATION FLOW [DMV]

The residual flow is defined as the minimum flow that preserve aquatic life in
the stream. There is not a single criteria to define the residual flow. Several
methods have been developed in different countries and some of these methods
have been introduced into the specific national or regional regulations on water
protection. Therefore, the residual flow of each project should satisfy the current
water law of the region where the mini-hydro development is proposed.

1.3.5 DESIGN FLOOD [QF]

Estimation of the design flood is necessary to obtain the required spillway
capacity. The requirements regarding the design flood normally are specified in
national legislation or regional guidelines, and distinguish between high, medium
and low hazard structures. In general mini-hydro plants can be considered as
medium – low hazard structures in which it is recommended to discard the routing
effects of the reservoir. The spillway capacity then, shall exceed the peak flow of a
flood with a specific return period, typically 100 - 500 years.
There are basically two ways to define a design flood: by statistical analysis
of stream flow records, or by hydrological modelling of the catchment area. In mini-
hydro developments, due to the less important structures that would not cause
dramatic consequences to life and people in case of failure, statistical analysis is
normally used.
Even though, if suffice data of the site is not available, it is possible to obtain
the design flood by one of the many hydrological watershed models that permit
calculation of the runoff for a certain catchment basin taking into account the
average daily rainfall, the potential evapotranspiration, the soil composition, the
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 basin slope and area, the stream length, the snowmelt and its contribution to the
discharge and other parameters.
Whereas one or the other of the methods are used, the Hydrologic report
should include a brief description of the method used, highlighting the basic
hypothesis and parameters assumed to calculate the design flood.

1.4 Plant capacity and energy output

The plant capacity and the average annual energy output of the proposed
scheme should be obtained considering the net water volume passed through the
turbine in a year. For this purpose is then necessary to take into account the
residual flow and the minimum technical turbine flow which depends upon the
turbine type as shown hereafter:

Turbine type Qmin (% of Qdesign)

Francis 28 - 50
Semi Kaplan 20 - 30
Kaplan 10 -15

The design flow [QD] has to be identified through an optimisation procedure in

order to achieve the best performance of the turbines along the year with the better
average annual energy production.
This feature can be done by analyzing the performance of two parameters:
the capacity factor and the stream factor. The capacity factor [CF] is an index that
indicates how hard a turbine is working and can be obtained by means of the
following formulae:
annual energy output E [kWh]
CF = 4.
installed capacity PT [kW] × 8760

The stream factor [CS] measures the utilization of the water resource as:
useful water volume
CS = 5.
Total water volume
When the capacity factor approaches 1, normally the stream factor is small.
This means that the turbines are working really hard but the water resource is
being misused. On the contrary, when the stream factor approaches 1 the capacity
factor approaches zero indicating a misuse of the installed capacity. Optimization
usually leads to the best performance of both factors.

After setting the duration of the design discharge, the residual flow and the
minimum technical flow, the useful water volume can be obtained by integration of
the portion of the FDC bounded by the design discharge, the residual flow and the
minimum technical flow.

Usually the flow value authorized in the water use permission named also,
average annual discharge [QM], is the mean value of the useful water volume.

useful water volume [m3 ]

QM ⎡ ms ⎤ =
3
6.
⎣ ⎦ 1 year [s]

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 EXAMPLE OF CALCULATION OF USEFUL WATER VOLUME FROM THE [FDC]
200

180

160

140

120
Flow (m3/s)

100

80 maximum flow
60

40 QD
useful water volume minimum flow

20
residual flow
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent time f low equalled or exeeded (%)

The plant capacity [PC] to be declared in the application form should be

obtained with the average discharge [QM] and net head [HN] neglecting the
efficiency of the system.
γ × QM × HN
PC ⎣⎡kW ⎦⎤ = 7.
1000

with γ ≈ 9810 N/m3 specific weight of water.

As said before, if the scheme is a high head one, the gross head can be
considered constant. In low head schemes the gross head normally is strongly
dependent with the stream flow. Hence, in calculating the plant capacity and
energy production it is necessary to consider this dependence as shown in the
graph.
EXAMPLE OF GROSS HEAD VARIATION WITH STREAM FLOW
2500 5. 0

2000 4. 0
HG
Gross Head (m)

1500 3. 0
Power (kW)

PC

1000 2. 0

500 Power 1. 0
Net head

0 0. 0
0 10 20 30 40 QM 50 60 70 80 90 100
Discharge (m3 / s)
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 The peak power PT which is actually the turbine or installed power of the
plant, should be estimated with the design flow QD and the net head HN as follows:
γ × QD × HN × η
PT ⎡⎣kW ⎦⎤ = 8.
1000

where η represent the efficiency of the system

η = ηT × ηG × ηg × ηt 9.

ηT = turbine efficiency
ηG = generator efficiency
ηg = gearbox efficiency
ηt = transformer efficiency

The average annual energy output [E] is given as the actual developed
power along the year which can be obtained by the following expression:
useful water volume × g × HN × η
E [kWh] = 10.
3600
where g is the gravity acceleration, HN is the net head.
In mini-hydro schemes it is useful to determine the Firm energy. The firm
energy is defined as the power that can be delivered by a specific plant during a
certain period (usually a year) with at least 90 - 95% certainty. Normally, run-of-
river schemes have a low firm energy capacity while hydropower plants with
storage reservoir have considerable capacity for firm energy. The firm energy is a
significant parameter in economic evaluation when the overall energy production is
small.

2. Technical description of the project

2.1 Diversion structure

2.1.1 WEIR
In mini-hydro schemes weirs are primarily intended to divert the river flow into
the water conveyance system leading to the powerhouse. The weir may produce
additional head and some storage capacity.
Weirs can be placed perpendicular, angular or lateral to the river axis.
However, is a good practice to set the weir crest rectilinear and perpendicular to
the river axis. For low downstream water levels, the weir controls the flow and
defines the relationship between the upstream water level and the discharge as
shown in the discharge rating curve of the figure.
At this level of the project it is not necessary to asses the structural stability of
the weir or dam. Even though, some hydraulic features should be studied:

•The discharge rating curve of the weir: On the discharge rating curve graph the
residual flow, the design discharge and the peak of the design flood with their
respective water surface levels should be indicated precisely.

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 EXAMPLE OF DISCHARGE RATING CURVE OVER A WEIR
20

Hmax
16

H012
stage h
8
Hmin
4

0
0 DMV 1QD 2 QF 3 4
discharge Q

•The length and impact of the backwater effect for the design discharge and for the
peak of the design flood. In order to better estimate the upstream impact and the
eventual damage due to the change of regime of the watercourse imposed by the
weir, the water surface profile should be calculated for the whole length of the
backwater effect.
This calculations should be performed for at least for two flows: the design
discharge and the peak of the design flood. For this purpose, the shape of a
number of cross sections of the stream obtained by recent surveying topographical
work are necessary. Special attention should be paid in modelling the cross
sections interested by crossing structures such as bridges, culverts, etc.

EXAMPLE OF WATER SURFACE PROFILE

EXAMPLE Q = Design discharge
Olona INTERMEZZO_2 Olona INTERMEZZO Olona MONTE
306
Legend

Water surface
304 Ground

Left bank

302 Right bank

300
Stage (m)

298

296

294
SE Z. 1 1b GEOMETRA S...

SE Z. 2 0 MAZZUCCHE LL I

SE Z. 1 9 MAZZUCCHE LL I

SE Z. 1 8 MAZZUCCHE LL I

SE Z. 1 6 MAZZUCCHE LL I

SE Z. 1 5 MAZZUCCHE LL I

SE Z. 1 3 MAZZUCCHE LL I

SE Z. 1 2 MAZZUCCHE LL I
SE Z. 1 3b G. S TA MPA ...

SE Z. 1 0b G. S TA MPA
SE Z. 9 b G. S TA MPA
SE Z. 1 4b G. S T...

292
SE Z. 1 6b ...

OL ONA 1 4
OL ONA 1 2
OL ONA 1 1

OL ONA 0 8

OL ONA 0 7
OL ONA 0 6
OL ONA 0 5
OL ONA 0 4
OL ONA 0 3
OL ONA 0 2

OL ONA 0 1
BRIDGE

BRIDGE

290
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Distance (m)

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 The water surface profile can be calculated by means of any software
available in the market as long as enough information about the assessment and
reliability of the model used is presented.
Profile drawings should clearly indicate the level reached by the water, the
right and left bank along the stream and the location and levels of the main
crossing structures. An example of a water surface profile is shown in the figure.

•The water surface profile downstream for the peak of the design flood: If the
proposed scheme does not include a spillway, a water surface profile downstream
the weir is necessary to estimate eventual erosion phenomenon at the wire base or
further downstream the river .

2.1.2 RESIDUAL FLOW DEVICE

The layout of the diversion works most assure the complete restitution of the
flow to the river whenever the discharge is less or equal the residual flow. This
means that the project should contain a special device at the weir itself or at any
another location, able to by-pass the diversion works and restore, immediately
downstream the weir, the flow to the river. Such device should operate
automatically without any man input. A good practice in this context is to place the
level of the wire crest above the level required by the residual flow device to
convey the DMV.

RESIDUAL FLOW RATING CURVE DEVICE

302.00

301.50
Level (m s.l.m.)

301.00

Weir crest

300.50

Weir discharge rating curve

Residual flow device rating curve
300.00
0 1 2DMV
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

3
Stream Flow (m /s)

2.1.3 FISH PASSAGEWAY

Mini-hydro-installations on rivers populated by fish migrating species or not,
are subject to special requirements. In fact, fish population must not be swallowed
into the turbine and they should be free to transfer up or downstream at all times.
Thus a water passage to by-pass the hydro-plant should be introduced.
A preliminary study about the biodynamic characteristics of each kind of fish
population of the interested river should be carried out.
To allow fish to pass upstream requires the construction of a special device
such as a 'fish ladder', which is usually a series of pools one above the other, with
water overflowing from the higher ones to the lower ones so that fish can jump up
from one pool to the next. This structure should be adopted only if the fish
population is able to leap, if not, another type of fish passage device should be
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 provided. Culverts, usually placed along one of the banks near the weir or lateral
canals are often also used as fish pass device in this case
Hydraulic design of these devices should fit the fish population characteristics
in particular the:
• Fish length (fH) and body depth (fL) range,
• Water temperature range suitable to fish life.
• Swim Speed Range and time to exhaustion (in sustained mode, prolonged
mode, critical mode and burst mode)
• Depth threshold for passage (verified for low flows)
• Velocity threshold for passage (verified for high flows)
• The maximum leaping velocity Vf (for species that are able to leap)

For example the plunging pools dimensions of a fish ladder must satisfy the
following expression:
Vf 2
HL = 11.
2g
where Vf is the maximum leaping velocity, g is the gravity acceleration and HL is
the leap hight as shown in the figure.

DIMENSIONS OF A PLONGING POOL

Often the fish passage device is used also to convey the residual flow. Since
not always the residual flow verifies the depth threshold for passage characteristic
of the fish population, it becomes necessary to introduce a fish screen or any other
item as a deterrent when flow is below the critical value.

2.1.4 SPILLWAY AND ENERGY DISSIPATION STRUCTURES

The spillway is the structure build to convey in a safety and efficient way the
design flood. Mini-hydro schemes are normally of the run-off river type in which the
weir itself controls the flow and defines the relationship between the upstream
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 water level and the discharge. In fact the main function of the weir is to divert the
required flow whilst the rest of the water continues to flow over it. For this reason in
these kind of schemes the weir operates as a spillway when the design flood
happens.
The amount of water that can be spilled over a weir depends on the shape of
the crest as shown in the figure. In order to avoid under-pressures that may lead to
cavitation which will damage the downstream face of the weir and to asses the
behaviour of the weir as a spillway, it is necessary to design the geometry of the
crest for the peak flow of the design flood.
The ogee weir is hydraulically the better solution but it is very expensive. In
small hydro plants it is seldom adopted.

For downstream water levels that are equal to or higher than the spillway
crest level, the spillway becomes progressively submerged and its corresponding
discharge decreases. Furthermore, in presence of piles, the governing discharge
will depend on the shape and dimensions of the piles. All these aspects influence
the functioning of a spillway but are not mandatory at this level of the project.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPILLWAY

The flow spilled over the weir is usually supercritical with high flow velocities
and turbulence that may produce severe erosion at the toe of the structure, mainly
if the riverbed is not erosion resistant. To avoid any damage downstream the weir,
the hydraulic profile of the river should be verified and if necessary, a structural
solution such as a stilling basin should be adopted.

2.2 Conveyance structure

2.2.1 INTAKE
A proper operation of a water intake should assure the diversion of water just
up to the required design discharge into the power canal or into the penstock with
the minimum possible head losses. Besides, design of the intake should consider
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 the possibility to handle debris and sediment transport and to avoid entering of
fishes.
To satisfy these conditions, the intake should be supplied with a trashrack
whose mesh must be fine enough to keep away from the turbine fishes and a good
percentage of solid transport.
The cleaning of this mechanism should not be neglected at this level of the
project. Normally manual raking is only practicable for very small schemes or sites.
Then, the introduction of an automatic raking device to clean the screen and
dispose of the trapped debris should be foreseen.

2.2.2 CHANNELS, CANALS OR TUNNELS

In mini-hydro schemes the waterway is normally an artificial canal of regular
cross-section and with a very mild slope, thus flow in it is subcritical with very low
friction losses. The flow conveyed by a canal is a function of its cross-section
geometry profile, its slope, and its roughness. Conveyance of this kind of device
can be obtained by the Manning equation:
2
Q = AKR 3 so 12.

where Q [m3/s] is the conveyed flow, A [m2] wetted area, K [m1/3/s] is the Strickler
roughness coefficient which depends on the material of the channel walls, R [m] is
the hydraulic radius, given by the ratio A/P with and P [m] wetted perimeter and so
[-] is the river bed slope. Special care should be paid to the choice of the Strickler
coefficient.
To avoid channel overtopping, a generous freeboard and a lateral spillway in
a safety position should be provided.

2.2.3 PENSTOCK
Penstocks are normally used only to convey water into the power house. In
mini-hydro systems, penstocks can be plastic or metallic. The diameter is chosen
as the result of a trade-off between penstock cost and power losses. As a good
practice flow velocities in penstocks should not be larger than 5-7 m/s neither lower
than 0.5 m/s.
In high head schemes the penstock wall thickness can be obtained with the
following expressions:
pD
e=
2 σf
13.
D
e≥
100
where e [m] is the wall thickness of the pipe, p [Pa] is the maximum hydrostatic
pressure , D [m] the pipe diameter and σf [Pa] the allowable tensile strength of the
material
In low head schemes the penstock is subject to low pressures thus it is not
necessary to calculate the wall thickness since the second condition prevails.

2.2.4 TAILRACE
The tailrace is normally a short canal through which water returns to the
stream after passing through the turbine. The tailrace most satisfy the same
conditions given above for the channel. The flow velocity in the tailrace should be
verified (specially in schemes with impulse turbines such as Pelton) to avoid bed
erosion and to ensure that the powerhouse would not be undermined. If necessary,
protection with concrete aprons should be provided between the powerhouse and
the stream.
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 In low head systems the level at the tailrace determines the available net
head and influences the operation of the turbine when a reaction turbine is
adopted. The available net head may have a decisive influence on the economic
evaluation, thus, the tailrace design should ensure that during high flows in the
river the water in the tailrace does not rise so far that it interferes with the turbine
runner.

2.3 Power house

In small hydropower plants the power house is the building made to protect
the electromechanical equipment (turbo-generator) from the weather hardships.
Dimensions of the power house are function of the number, type and power of the
turbo-generators, of the specific geomorphology of the site and of the general
layout of the scheme.

2.3.1 INLET GATE OR VALVE

In mini-hydro schemes it is normal practice to introduce an automatic valve or
gate between the turbine and the conveying system in order to allow the turbine to
disconnect from the hydraulic system in a short time. To reduce pressure surges in
the pipe due to this feature, a waterway to by-pass the turbine should be provided.

2.3.2 TURBINE AND CONTROL SYSTEM

The selection of the turbine depends upon the site characteristics, principally
the available head and design discharge, plus the desired running speed of the
generator and whether the turbine will be expected to operate in reduced flow
conditions. The approximate ranges of head, flow and power applicable to the
different turbine types are shown in the figure.

HEAD-FLOW RANGES OF SMALL HYDRO TURBINES

An important feature to be considered when choosing a turbine is its

efficiency performance for flows different from the design discharge. The
calculation of the average annual energy production should take into account the
variation of the turbine efficiency when operating at reduced flows. Typical
efficiency curves are shown in the following figure in which the turbine efficiency to
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 the relative flow (Q/QD) is plotted for different turbines type. The efficiency
performance of the different turbines show that in low head schemes, it could be
worthy to adopt a more expensive Kaplan turbine which maintain high efficiencies
within the whole range of flows with a better energy yield.
TURBINE EFFICIENCY FOR DIFFERENT RELATIVE FLOW

Turbine operation is normally triggered by control devices such as the wicket-

gates, vanes, spear nozzles or valves. Actually, turbines are build for a given net
head and design discharge, any other value of these parameters will require an
opening or closing of the control devices to keep either the outlet power, the level
of the water surface in the intake, or the turbine discharge constant.
In mini-hydro schemes connected to an isolated network, the parameter that
needs to be controlled is the turbine speed, which controls the frequency of the
produced electricity.

2.3.3 GENERATOR AND SPEED INCREASER (IF NEEDED)

Generators are classified as Synchronous generators and Asynchronous
generators as follows:
• Synchronous generators: are self excited devices since they are supplied
with a permanent magnet excitation system. Synchronous generators can run
isolated from the grid and produce power since excitation is not grid-dependent
• Asynchronous generators: They are simple induction motors with no
possibility of voltage regulation. This generators run at a speed directly related to
the system frequency. They are normally used in very small stand-alone
applications as a cheap solution when the required quality of the electricity supply
is not very high.
In small hydro schemes as a rule standard generators should be installed so
in turbine selection it must be considered that the generator, either coupled directly
or through a speed increaser to the turbine, should reach the synchronous speed.

2.3.4 PROTECTION SYSTEMS AND DC EMERGENCY SUPPLY

Power consumption of the power house in mini-hydro projects represent 1-3
% of the plant installed capacity.
Small hydro schemes are normally unattended and operated through an
automatic control system. Alternative supplies, with automatic changeover, should
be used to ensure service in an unattended plant. It is generally recommended that
remotely controlled plants are equipped with an emergency 24 V DC back-up
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 power supply from a battery in order to allow plant control for shutdown after a grid
failure and communication with the system at any time.
In mini-hydro plant developments, records of at least the headwater and
tailrace should be made and the installation of the right equipment should be
considered in the project

2.3.5 SUBSTATION
The so-called water-to-wire system usually includes the substation. A line
breaker must separate the plant from the grid in case of faults in the power plant.
Power and current transformers metering should be considered at the connecting
link between the plant-out conductors and the take-off line to the grid. In high
environmental sensitivity areas the substation should be enclosed in the
powerhouse.
The standard generation voltages of 400 V or 690 V allow for the use of
standard distributor transformers as outlet transformers and the use of the
generated current to feed into the plant power system. At this level of the project
not other information is needed.

3. Economic and financial analysis.

The application file most contain an economic and financial analysis in which the whole
investment, the operation costs, rates, taxes, insurances and any other costs should be clearly
indicated together with the benefits and government grants. This study should demonstrate the
economic feasibility of the project by means one of the known methods of economic evaluation. A
cash-flow forecast for the whole lifetime of the project should be included.

3.1 Investment and costs for installed capacity

At this level of the project is worthless to produced a detailed construction

cost estimates, nevertheless, the cost of the most important items (weir, channel,
penstock, powerhouse, turbo-generator) should be calculated with some accuracy
in order to achieve a reliable total investment.

3.1.1 INITIAL INVESTMENT COST

Small hydro investment costs can be split into four segments:
• Machinery. Should include the turbine, gearbox or drive belts, generator
and the water inlet control valve. For the same power, in general, high head
machines are smaller than low head machines and run faster, thus can be
connected directly to the generator without any speed increaser, therefore,
machinery costs for high head schemes are lower than for low head schemes of
similar power.
• Civil Works: Should include all diversion works, the pipeline or channel to
carry the water to the turbine, the power house and machinery foundations, and
the tailrace channel to return the water to the river. The Civil Works are largely site-
specific. On high head sites the major cost will be the pipeline; on low head sites
the diversion works and the channel.
• Electrical Works: The electrical system costs should take into account the
control system, the wiring within the turbine house, and a transformer if required,
plus the cost of connection to the grid. These costs are largely dependent on the
maximum power output. The connection cost is set by the local electricity
distribution company.
• External Costs: This item should consider the whole engineering services of
a professional to design the plant and manage the installation plus the costs of
obtaining the licences, planning permission, etc.
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 Average current costs are presented in the following table.

100KW-500 KW SMALL HYDRO INSTALLATION COSTS (€ X 1000)

Low High
ITEM
head head

Electromechanical equipment 70 - 140 35 - 70

Civil works 35 - 115 35 - 95
Electrical works (no grid connection) 18 - 35 18 - 35
External costs 12 - 35 12 - 35
Total: 135 - 325 100 - 230

Generally, the cost per kilowatt of new schemes increases as size reduces,
due to economy of scale and the fact that any scheme has a certain fixed cost
element which does not greatly change with size

3.1.2 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COST

New mini-hydro projects usually foresee the introduction of modern
automated equipment which requires very little maintenance. Though, annual
maintenance costs should be no more than 1-1.5% of the total investment. Yet,
within the maintenance costs one should include the replacement of the seals and
bearings of the machine, or the replacement of the turbine itself and/or of the
generator, valves, sluice gates, etc. which could be considered to happen once at
least each 10 years.
Operation annual costs should include as well all leasing payments,
insurances, taxes, metering plus the licence annual cost.
To achieve an acceptable revenue the total annual running cost should
maintain under 5% of the total investment.

3.2 Benefits due to generation

The main income in running a mini-hydro plant regards the electricity sale. In
calculating the total income, it is necessary to consider other the electricity sale,
the renewable obligation certificates (given to “clean electricity producers“ in almost
all countries of the European Community) and any other grants or incentives if
available.

3.2.1 TARIFFS
The tariff is the unitary electricity price [€/MW] paid to the electricity producer
by the supplier. Actually, electricity tariffs are not a stable entity since they vary
constantly influenced by the markets. Tariffs vary from one country to another and
are strongly influenced also by national policy. It is therefore important to take into
account in the income calculation all these implications.
However, for the purpose of the economic analysis to be included in the
water use application, unless one has come to an agreement for a specific
negotiated tariff, it is advisable to compute the annual revenue with the average
annual price paid by the supplier the last year.

3.2.2 INCENTIVES
Electricity generated from renewable sources can be used to obtain
Renewable Obligation Certificates which all the supply companies need in order to
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 prove they are meeting the governments targets for renewable energy. These
certificates have a market value which vary over time, depending on how well
these companies are doing in meeting their targets.
Besides the renewable obligation certificates, all along the European
Community there are a number of supplementary incentives to promote renewable
energy developments, these are specific of each country. For example, in many
countries for domestic developers and other non-commercial owners, the
government has reduced the VAT payable on hydro-electric plant to 5% for
systems supplying buildings which are either residential or used for charitable
purposes.
Moreover, there are a wide range of regional funding mechanisms which can
offer grants towards small-scale developments of renewable energy projects.

3.3 Cash flow forecast analysis

Cash flow is essentially the movement of money into and out of a business.
Cash Flow forecasts is the model of the way in which cash moves within the
project. Through Cash Flow forecasts it should be possible to demonstrate whether
the predicted sales or income will cover the operation costs and whether a project
will be sufficiently profitable to justify the effort put into it.
Cash Flow forecast should be carried out for the whole lifetime of the project
on a spreadsheet indicating clearly cash inflows and outflows.

EXAMPLE OF CASH FLOW FORECAST ANALYSIS

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 3.4 Methods of economic evaluation

3.4.1 TIME VALUE OF MONEY

In any economic analysis involving economic value there are always two
variables, money and time. The time value of money principle is that an euro today
is worth more than an euro tomorrow, that means that money paid or received at a
given time has a different value if it is paid or received at another time. To compare
present and future investments, it is then necessary to express cash flows in
current value, that is to obtain the present value of each single future cash flow.
The term “present value” stands for the current value of a future amount of
money. To determine the present value the following formula is used:
⎡ 1 ⎤
Co = ⎢ ⎥ Cn 14.
⎢ (1 + r )n ⎥
⎣ ⎦
Where Co is the present value of the future (n years far) amount of money Cn
discounted at a given interest rate, also called discounted rate, r, for n number of
years.
By means of the present value concept, investors can calculate the present
value of the future sales price of a mini-hydro plant. Thus if the investment is to be
interesting from an economic point of view, the today investment has to be sold at
a much higher price in the future

3.4.2 PAYBACK METHOD

The payback method determines the number of years required for the
invested capital to be offset by resulting benefits. The required number of years is
termed the payback recovery.
The payback method evaluates an investment project by the length of the
payback period. The payback period is the number of years that it takes for a
project to recover its initial investment. This period called also break-even period
indicates the time that it takes for an investment to pay for itself. The payback
period is expressed in years and should be obtained as:
Total investment
Payback period = 15.
Net cash inflow
By using the payback method the more quickly the cost of an investment can
be recovered, the more profitable is the project. This method is simple to use but it
is attractive if liquidity is an issue, but does not explicitly allow for the “time value of
money”

3.4.3 RETURN ON INVESTMENT METHOD

The return on investment (ROI) is an accounting valuation method that
compares the net benefits of a project, versus its total costs or book value
investment.
Net annual income
ROI = 16.
Book value of investment
Where the net annual income is obtained by subtracting the annual operation
costs to the revenue due to electricity plus certificates, etc.
ROI gives a quick estimate of the project's net profits, and can provide a
basis for comparing several different projects. When using the ROI method to
evaluate a project is better to consider cash flow rather than income data to take
into account the time value of money.

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 3.4.4 NET PRESENT VALUE (NPV) METHOD
Is the most common method for evaluating an investment project. Under the
net present value method, the present value (PV) of all cash inflows from the
project is compared against the initial investment (I). The Net Present Value (NPV)
determines whether the project is an acceptable investment. Under this method, a
project should only be considered if the NPV value is positive (NPV > 0).

The formula for calculating NPV, assuming that the cash flows occur at equal
time intervals and that the first cash flow (negative and represented by the initial
investment I) occurs at the end of the construction period (j=0) is:

n (B j − C j )
NPV = ∑ 17.
j =0 (1 + r ) j
Where:
(Bj - Cj) represent the net cash inflow at the end of each period j.
r = the periodic discount rate. If j = 3 months, r = ¼ of the annual discount
rate.
n = total number of periods j in the project lifetime.
The difference between revenues and expenses, both discounted at a fixed,
periodic interest rate, is the net present value (NPV) of the investment. Therefore,
net present value is an amount that expresses how much value an investment will
result in today’s monetary terms.

3.4.5 BENEFIT-COST RATIO[BCR].

The cost-benefit ratio is a simple calculation that depicts the total financial
return for each euro invested in the project. The method compares the present
value of the overall benefits and the overall investment along the lifetime of the
project, on a ratio basis. as follows:
n Bj
∑
j =0 (1 + i ) j
BCR = 18.
n Cj
∑
j =0 (1 + i ) j

Where the numerator represent the present value of the total revenue and
the denominator the present value of the investment. Projects with a ratio of less
than 1 should be discarded.

3.4.6 INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN METHOD [IRR]

The Internal Rate of Return is the discount rate that makes the present value
of all net cash flows of the project equal to zero. The higher a project's internal rate
of return, the more advantageous it is. As such, IRR can be used to rank different
applications for the same site. Assuming all other factors are equal among the
various projects, the project with the highest IRR would be considered the best.
Once the rate is known, it can be also compared to the cost of borrowing
money. If the IRR is less than the cost of borrowing used to fund the project, the
project will clearly be a money-loser.
To find the IRR a process of trial and error is used, whereby the net cash flow
is computed for various discount rates until its value is reduced to zero.

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4. Environmental impact study.
Even if hydropower is considered “clean energy” because does not produce carbon
dioxide or liquid pollutants, their location in sensitive areas could produce local impacts that are
not always negligible. These impacts normally are proportional to the installed capacity, therefore
in mini-hydro developments should be quite small. Nevertheless in most of the countries of the
European Community, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) must be carried out in order to
get the licence for water (Directive 2000/60/CE Water Framework Directive).
This study is a scientific and technical analysis, which makes an inventory of the present
situation and foresees the consequences on the environment to be expected from the
implementation of the project. It concerns the fauna and the flora, the landscapes, the ground, the
water, the air, the climate, the natural surroundings and the biological equilibriums, the protection
of goods and of the cultural patrimony, the comfort of the neighbourhood (noise, vibrations,
smells, lightning), hygiene, security, public salubriousness and health.
Recently, in order to encourage investors towards mini-hydro developments, authorities of
many European countries do not require a complete EIA for plants with installed capacity less
than 3MW. Nevertheless any application for water use should include an environmental study
with an accurate description from the environmental point of view of the site and with indications
about all burdens and impacts at local level that the project could produce. The foreseen
mitigation strategies and measures should also be included. The following discussion concerns
only these kind of projects.

4.1 Environmental general description of the site

In order to be able to identify the overall environmental impact of the
proposed scheme it is necessary that developers perform an accurate survey of
the site to collect all the information. Applicants should then describe the wild life
specifying the kind and state of the vegetation and the different species of birds,
mammals and of course the aquatic population. They should also indicate the air
and water quality and describe the level of human presence and any human
activity that could be disturbed by the mini-hydro development. Photographs
should be included.

4.2 Impacts identification

Environmental Impacts of mini-hydropower schemes are highly location and
technology specific. A high mountain diversion scheme situated in a highly
sensitive area is more likely to generate an impact than an integral low-head
scheme in a valley.
Within the European community an exhaustive description of possible
environmental impacts consequent to hydropower plants, made by groups of
experts that perform Environmental Impact Assessments, are available in literature
(see the tables here after). These studies suggest to distinguish temporary impacts
(likely does present only during the construction period) from permanent (due to
operation of the plant along its lifetime).

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 4.2.1 IMPACTS DURING CONSTRUCTION
The environmental study should analyze only the items of the following tables
concerning the specific project.

PERSONS OR
EVENTS DURING CONSTRUCTION IMPACT PRIORITY
THINGS AFFECTED
Geological Surveys Wildlife Noise Low
Existing Vegetation Cutting Forestry Alteration of habitat Medium
New opportunities,
Enlargement of Existing Roads General public Medium
alteration of habitat
Earth Moving Site geology Slope stability Low
Alteration of
Tunnels Excavation Site hydro-geology groundwater Low
circulation
Permanent Filling Material on
Site geology Slope stability Low
Slopes
Aquatic life, site Alteration of river
Embankment Realisation Medium
hydro-morphology hydraulic
Creation of Temporary Earth
Site geology Slope stability Low
Accumulations
Temporary Displacement of
General public Negligible
Persons, Roads, Electric Lines
Realisation of Roads and Sheds Wildlife, general Visual intrusion,
Low
for the Yard public wildlife disturbance
Water Courses Dredging Aquatic ecosystem Alteration of habitat Medium
Temporary Diversion of Rivers Aquatic ecosystem Alteration of habitat High
Use of Excavators, Trucks,
Wildlife, general
Helicopters, Cars for the Noise High
public
Personnel, Blondins
Human Presence During the Wildlife, general
Noise Low
Works on Site public

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 4.2.2 MPACTS DURING OPERATION

PERSONS OR
EVENTS DURING OPERATION IMPACT PRIORITY
THINGS AFFECTED
Renewable Energy Production General public Reduction of Pollutants High
Watercourses Damming Aquatic ecosystem Modification of habitat High
Permanent Works in the Riverbed Aquatic ecosystem Modification of habitat High
Diversion of Watercourses Aquatic ecosystem Modification of habitat High
Penstocks Wildlife Visual intrusion Medium
General public,
New Electric Lines Visual intrusion Low
wildlife
Aquatic ecosystem, Modification of habitat,
Ripraps Low
general public visual intrusion
Aquatic ecosystem, Modification of habitat,
Levees Low
general public visual intrusion
Flow Rate modification Fish Modification of habitat High
idem Plants Modification of habitat Medium
Modification of
idem General public
recreational activities
Noise from electromechanical
General public Alteration of life quality Low
equipment
Removal of material from Aquatic life, Improvement of water
high
streambed General public quality

4.2.3 IMPACTS FROM THE ELECTRIC LINE

Above ground transmission lines and transmission line corridors can have a
negative impact on the landscape. These impacts can be mitigated by adapting the
line to the landscape, or in extreme cases by burying it.

4.3 Environmental impacts mitigation

When possible, the magnitude of the identified environmental impacts should
be established by comparing them with the current regulation. For this purpose, the
Europeans Community in the last years has issued several regulations indicating
the tolerable range concerning different environmental items such as air and water
pollution, noise level, etc.
Different mitigation measures can be adopted to reduce the same
environmental impact. The choice of one measure from another normally is follows
subjective arguments or economic reasons. Therefore, one could accept any
mitigation measure or strategy as far as it meets the target.
Mitigating measures can be directly negotiated and agreed with the licensing
authorities.
Any mitigation strategies incorporated in the project will represent a cost
which should represent a small percent of the total investment.

5. Grid connection characteristics.

Excluding isolated schemes, any other plant cannot be operated without a connection to
the grid.
Normally the connection to the grid has to be negotiated directly with the local electricity
supplier and does not concern water rights. However, it is worthwhile to consider this item at this
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level of the project. In fact the specifications or conditions for connecting to the grid can change
the feasibility of a scheme.
Particular care should be paid to the connection capacity of the grid. A connection to a
saturated grid is more expensive than a simple one, due to the fact that in the first case the grid
should be reinforced to accept further connections. Moreover, to give a right estimate of the
connection cost, it is necessary to know which connection have to be planned (high or low
voltage) and the distance to the connection.

6. Land properties information.

Water use applications for a hydropower purposes should also include enough information
about the land ownership interested by the whole scheme.
In general the mini-hydro developer is not the owner of all or part of the land necessary for
the project. Therefore, leasing agreements between the landlord and the developer should be
drawn up to establish the right to use the necessary land areas and also to define the
responsibilities of the leaseholder.
If no agreement is reached, authorities can insist that the landlord agrees in the public
interest. No project can proceed unless the right to use all the land is achieved and certain
permission is granted to use all of the land required both to develop completely the scheme and
to have the necessary access to it.
Depending on the juridical status of the land, an authorisation to reclaim the land should
be requested whenever a natural environment or sensitive zone will be spoiled as a consequence
of the project construction and/or operation.
If all the land or part of it is leased, then there will be an annual rent to pay to be
considered in the economic evaluation.

7. Supporting documents.

7.1 Construction schedule

In order to support authorities to better national or regional plan hydropower
development, a construction schedule indicating the succession and duration of
each stage of the construction should be included.

EXAMPLE OF A CONSTRUCTION SHCHEDULE

FASE DI LAVORO MESI

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Installazione cantiere
Scavi e riempimenti
Opere civili canali di
carico e di restituzione,
vasca di calma,
traversa, soglia
sfiorante, fabbricaro
centrale e misuratore di
portata
Paratoie, panconature
e automazioni
Installazione macchine
allacciamento rete
elettrica

Impianti ed automatismi
Prove e regolazioni
Finiture, ripristini e
opere di mitigazione
ambientale

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 7.2 Developer information
Information about the legal and financial position of applicants is desirable,
among these:
Legal name and names of directors of board, (if the applicant is a
corporation)
Address
Nationality
Organisation chart,
Recent financial statements, including the balance sheets and the income
statements of recent years.
Business plan, covering at least a long period.

8. Maps Drawings and Reports.

Applications with technical reports including graphs, shop drawings, and photographs self
explanatory are preferable. All Applications most include the following and drawings maps and
reports:

8.1 MAPS AND DRAWINGS:

8.1.1 SITE PLAN

Project location shown on regional and vicinity maps.
(scale 1:10000 –1:50000)

8.1.2 TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF THE EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS

To include terrain contours, buildings or structures, utilities, drainage, and
other physical features on or near the project site. For small projects, this
information can be shown in the site.
(scale 1:2000 – 1:10000)

8.1.3 PROPOSED SITE PLAN.

Showing property boundaries, construction limits, and exactly defined
locations and elevations of finished new structures.
(scale 1:2000 – 1:10000)

8.1.4 ENGINEERING AND DETAILED DRAWINGS.

Showing detailed layout and dimensions of the main structures: weir and/or
spillway, powerhouse, channel, tailrace, intake, etc.
(scale < 1:5000)

8.2 REPORTS:

8.2.1 GENERAL REPORT.

8.2.2 HYDROLOGICAL AND HYDRAULIC STUDY.

8.2.3 GEOTECHNICAL REPORT

8.2.4 ENVIRONMENTAL STYDY

8.2.5 ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

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9. REFERENCES:

1. European Small Hydropower Association - ESHA “Guide on How to Develop a Small

Hydropower Plant” 2004
2. The British Hydropower Association - BHA “A Guide to UK Mini-Hydro Developments”.
2006
3. Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal (CRT/N) - Sustainable Energy Solutions in South Asia
INFORSE “Manual on Micro Hydro Development” Tripureshower, Kathmandu, 2005
4. Altener Community Programme - Integrated Plan for Renewable Energies – IPRE. “Studio
di fattibilità per la Riabilitazione delle Centrali Minihydro”. 2001.
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19. : “Renewable Energy and Liberalisation in Electricity Markets” REALISE-Forum Final
conference Proceedings Berlin, November 2-3, 2006

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 20. Final conference “Renewable Energy and Liberalisation in Electricity Markets:
Lessons and Recommendations for Policy” Berlin, November 2-3, 2006

21. Working paper of the European Commission “ Electricity from renewable sources and the
internal electricity market.

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