Small-scale hydrokinetic turbines for remote community electrification (original) (raw)
Related papers
Energies
Energy accessibility, reliability and availability are key components of improved quality of life and human development in all spheres. As the United Nations’ SDG 7 calls for access to electricity for all by 2030, Africa still has a wide gap to fill as the statistics show that 85% of the population that will not have access to electricity is in Africa. As the world tries to wean itself off non-renewable energy and transition to green through use of renewable energy sources, hydropower energy remains at the heart of Africa for this venture. With majority of the rural population in Africa lacking electricity, there is need for a low-tech system that utilizes river flow to generate just enough energy for normal operation in these regions. Micro-hydrokinetic river turbine technology (µ-HRT), which offers less intermittency, can potentially contribute to sustainably electrifying Africa rural areas. The technology has been adopted by few countries worldwide, with limited comprehensive stu...
Small Scale Hydro Turbines for Sustainable Rural Electrification Program
2018
Article history: Received 30 March 2018 Received in revised form 1 August 2018 Accepted 4 August 2018 Available online 10 September 2018 Hydropower is one of the world leading green alternative energy to produce electricity besides solar and wind energy. Most potential sites for large hydropower scheme in Peninsular Malaysia have been explored. Due to cabling cost and geographical constraints rural electrification program requires in-situ application which make small hydropower scheme more favourable choice. This run-of-river scheme is environmental friendly as no dam is required. Potential locations in Malaysia have been suggested for small hydro turbine applications, which are ideal for eco-friendly tourist industry and remote power supply. The two such sites are Kg. Tual, Raub, Pahang and Gunung Ledang, Tangkak, Johor. The preliminary studies have been conducted at both locations to select suitable hydro turbine based on their head and water flow rate. Altimeter and water velocit...
Analysis of Hydro-Kinetic Turbine for Small Scale Electricity Production in Remote Areas
This paper has been written to investigate the possibility of using and developing hydrokinetic power to supply reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity to remote, rural and isolated areas of Uttarakhand, where reasonable water resources are available. Apparently, most hydrokinetic studies mainly concentrate on large-scale technologies such as waves, tides and ocean current applications. This paper explains the current status of hydrokinetic river technology for rural applications. A model of a hydro kinetic turbine of 1kW rating capacity has been discussed with detail design specification and power output calculation. The concept of double casing for better pressure drop is introduce and a two rings of turbine blade with four blade in each ring is attached with shaft which drive a generator by chain drive mechanism. Graph for power output with water velocity, water density, numbers of blade angle has been discussed. Keywords--- Hydro-kinetic turbine, double casing, remote power plant, power generation devices, effectiveness in rural areas
Hydrokinetic Micro-Power Generation in Small Rivers - a New Approach
The so called German electrical “Energiewende” is mainly based on the installation of solar photovoltaic and wind energy converters as the main new renewable European generation resources. The third renewable energy resource, the hydropower has been already developed within the last decades and grew not significantly in the last years. Since some years the development of smaller hydrokinetic turbines increased. The smaller size of some hydrokinetic turbines enables new, unused sites to be harnessed in smaller rivers. The paper deals with the key specifications of hydrokinetic turbines and their influence on a villages’ energy supply. It introduces the concept of a turbine with variable immersion depths to exploit also locations with a varying water level. Based on historical hydrological data a propeller and oscillating hydrofoil type of hydrokinetic turbine are compared, it was found that the variable immersion depths increases the energy harvest. Furthermore, it is shown that in a generation portfolio of hydrokinetic and solar power plants an average Luxembourgish household theoretically renewable supplied has to exchange less energy with the power grid, the higher its share of hydrokinetic generation is.
Micro-Hydrokinetic for Remote Rural Electrification
Standalone micro-hydrokinetic river (MHR) system is one of the promising technologies to be used for remote rural electrification. It simply requires the flow of water instead of elevation or head, leading to expensive civil works. This paper demonstrates an economic benefit offered by a standalone MHR system when compared to the commonly used standalone systems such as solar, wind and diesel generator (DG) at the selected study site in Kwazulu Natal. Wind speed and solar radiation data of the selected rural site have been taken from national aeronautics and space administration (NASA) surface meteorology database. The hybrid optimization model for electric renewable (HOMER) software was used to determine the most feasible solution when using MHR, solar, wind or DG system to supply 5 rural houses. MHR system proved to be the best cost-effective option to consider at the study site due to its low cost of energy (COE) and low net present cost (NPC).
Manufacture and experimental evaluation of a hydrokinetic turbine for remote communities in Colombia
Renewable Energy and Power Quality Journal, 2018
The manufacture and experimental evaluation of a hydrokinetic turbine of 1 kW are presented. A water velocity of 1.5 m/s, with a power coefficient of 0.4382, a tip speed ratio of 6.325, an angle of attack and pitch angle of 5 and 0 degrees, respectively, a blade length of 0.79 m, a drive train efficiency of 70% and a S822 hydrofoil profile were used for the design. The blades were designed and manufactured by Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing techniques (CAM) with a solid cross-section in order to provide the required strength. They were made of Prolon MS (Castnylon + Molybdenum). The platform that supports the turbine was a modular floating raft simple to install, flexible, and durable made of high density polyethylene resin. The supporting structure of the turbine generator was made of stainless steel. The turbine was constructed of high quality and durable materials. To determine the efficiency of the designed turbine, the electrical power and kinetic energy of the river were measured. The experimental assays of the turbine were performed in the Sinú River located in Córdoba (Colombia), obtaining an overall equipment efficiency of 0.5359.
Remote community electrification
Renewable Energy and Power Quality
Small remote communities often lack basic utilities such as electricity supply for lighting, refrigeration, communications etc. It is usually uneconomic to provide mains power, even when high voltage lines pass by a village. Dieselpowered generators require fuel which is expensive and difficult to bring into remote areas. They are noisy and they require maintenance which is neglected in remote area. Neither wind nor sun provide reliable power in humid tropical regions where there is a lot of still, overcast weather, even when wind turbines or solar panels can be located above the trees. Towers attract lightning strikes which can destroy electronic controls, fungus grows on solar panels, and the multiple electrical connections on photovoltaic arrays corrode away in hot, humid climates.
Hydrokinetic power for energy access in rural Ghana
Renewable Energy, 2011
Approximately half of Ghana's overall population has access to electricity and, of this, much of it is in urban areas. Often in regions where modern energy is not available, kerosene lamps, for example, are used for indoor lighting. This produces harmful emissions, leading to poor respiratory effects. Implementation of hydrokinetic power (HKP) within nearby streams can provide low impact, robust energy to rural communities. Such a system lends itself to a simple design with ease of maintenance, which can be used as a stand alone power system (SAPS). With Ghana's renewable energy policies coming to fruition, it is sought to establish the economic viability and sustainability of this technology. This paper discusses site selection and the HKP technology in rural areas of Ghana.