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Power Plant Technology | Hydroelectric Power Plant

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Hydroelectric Power Plant

The economically exploitable waterpower potential of the world comprises 15 milliards of mega-watt-hours per year. Only about 20 % are used, although waterpower already has an outstanding role among renewable energy: About 19 % of the total worldwide net power consumption came from this energy source in the year 2000 while all other regenerative energies together amounted to 1 % only.

The possibility of using waterpower profitably depends to a high degree on the natural situation of the country. More than 20 countries of the world like Norway and Paraguay meet their needs of energy up to more than 90 % by means of waterpower; like many others, e.g. Austria, Brasilia, Venezuela or Canada.

Hydroelectric power plants work at the highest possible efficiency of all energy producing systems known today. They are largely automated and cause comparatively minor operating costs. They also serve for a planned water management preventing flood disasters, canalising rivers and solving irrigation problems.

Waterpower has a future, but there is a change in the kind of its utilisation. It seems to be obvious that the time of major projects is definitely over during which their large-area destruction of natural habitat resulted in considerably negative social and ecological effects. The “small” waterpower is increasing in its importance, i.e. plants with an efficiency up to about 10 mega-watt, which don’t entail such problems.

In Germany there is a manageable number of medium-sized and small as well as some few large enterprises producing turbines and other components for machine construction on the sector of waterpower. Some of them look back on a long tradition and an adequate experience with regard to development and application of waterpower technologies.