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I would definitely appreciate the reasons on why small hydroelectric plants aren't seen as a good alternative to other power generation systems in economic term

by elkos 5y ago

I would definitely appreciate the reasons on why small hydroelectric plants aren't seen as a good alternative to other power generation systems in economic terms. To my understanding, they seem to be pretty responsive in demand fluctuations and pretty cheap with minor environmental impact.

EricE 5y ago
Well, they work fine if there is enough water for them. Quite a few people would take severe umbrage with the "minor environmental impact" view.
- Arrath 5y ago
  I think OP's "small hydroelectric plants" point is important, there. Imagine something more akin to the water wheels that powered industry of yore along rivers prior to steam and then electric power, not valley-filling reservoirs behind huge hydroelectric dams. I believe the term is "run-of-the-river" hydroelectric. If there is sufficient continuous flow down the river, and a goodly elevation drop you can use to build head pressure, you can indeed tap a small canal off, pass the flow through some turbines, and feed it right back in to the river. I think it is a matter of scale, water flow, and NIMBY-ism. While such stations to generate power, individually its not a whole hell of a lot, and who wants their river-front view besmirched by penstocks and a concrete blockhouse of a turbine building?
  - EricE 5y ago
    >I think it is a matter of scale Or in other words, economic viability :)
    - Arrath 5y ago
      That is what it boils down to. I will say, if I had property with a little creek running year round on it, I'd be hard pressed not to install a waterwheel to get a little something out of it.
bell-cot 5y ago
There used to be lots of little hydro plants in the U.S. The problem is dis-economies of scale once there is a large-scale power grid. (So a little hydro plant no longer has a local monopoly.) If river you're damming up has (say) 1/50 of the Colorado River's flow rate at Hoover Dam, and 1/20 of the ~500 foot head (meaning how far the water level drops at the dam), then you've got 1/(50 * 20) of the potential power generation of Hoover Dam - or about 2 megawatts. Which is worth ~$100 per hour on the wholesale market. To get that, you have to build and maintain a dam, a spillway, turbines, generators, a grid connection, etc., etc. Oh - and also buy the land that will be flooded by water behind the dam. Edit: s/40/20/g to fix wrong numbers.

by elkos 5y ago

EricE 5y ago

Well, they work fine if there is enough water for them. Quite a few people would take severe umbrage with the "minor environmental impact" view.

Arrath 5y ago
I think OP's "small hydroelectric plants" point is important, there. Imagine something more akin to the water wheels that powered industry of yore along rivers prior to steam and then electric power, not valley-filling reservoirs behind huge hydroelectric dams. I believe the term is "run-of-the-river" hydroelectric. If there is sufficient continuous flow down the river, and a goodly elevation drop you can use to build head pressure, you can indeed tap a small canal off, pass the flow through some turbines, and feed it right back in to the river. I think it is a matter of scale, water flow, and NIMBY-ism. While such stations to generate power, individually its not a whole hell of a lot, and who wants their river-front view besmirched by penstocks and a concrete blockhouse of a turbine building?
- EricE 5y ago
  >I think it is a matter of scale Or in other words, economic viability :)
  - Arrath 5y ago
    That is what it boils down to. I will say, if I had property with a little creek running year round on it, I'd be hard pressed not to install a waterwheel to get a little something out of it.

bell-cot 5y ago

There used to be lots of little hydro plants in the U.S. The problem is dis-economies of scale once there is a large-scale power grid. (So a little hydro plant no longer has a local monopoly.) If river you're damming up has (say) 1/50 of the Colorado River's flow rate at Hoover Dam, and 1/20 of the ~500 foot head (meaning how far the water level drops at the dam), then you've got 1/(50 * 20) of the potential power generation of Hoover Dam - or about 2 megawatts. Which is worth ~$100 per hour on the wholesale market. To get that, you have to build and maintain a dam, a spillway, turbines, generators, a grid connection, etc., etc. Oh - and also buy the land that will be flooded by water behind the dam. Edit: s/40/20/g to fix wrong numbers.