Considerable prospects for small hydropower. Small hydroelectric power stations of Russia Micro and small hydroelectric power stations

Recently, unconventional energy has received close attention from the whole world. Interest in the use of renewable energy sources - sun, wind, river water and sea tide - is easily explained: there is no need to purchase expensive fuel, it is possible to use small stations to provide hard-to-reach areas with electricity. This circumstance is important especially for countries where there are mountain ranges or sparsely populated areas where laying electrical networks is not economically feasible.

Two thirds of Russia's territory is not connected to the energy system

In Russia, areas of decentralized energy supply cover 70% of the country's territory. We still have communities that have never had electricity. And these are not always settlements in Siberia or the Far North. Electrification has not reached, for example, some villages in the Urals - these are areas that cannot be called unfavorable for energy. In addition, electrification of hard-to-reach and remote settlements is not such a difficult matter. In any corner of the country there is a stream or river where a micro hydroelectric power station can be installed.

Micro and small hydropower plants

Small hydropower facilities – small and micro hydroelectric power stations. This area of ​​energy production deals with the application of energy from water resources and hydraulic systems using low-power hydropower plants (1-3000 kW). In the world, small-scale energy has begun to develop in recent decades, this is mainly due to the desire to avoid environmental damage caused by the reservoirs of large hydroelectric power plants, with the ability to guarantee energy supply in isolated and hard-to-reach areas, as well as with low capital costs during the construction of stations and a quick return on investment ( up to 5 years).

Where can small hydropower facilities be installed?

The hydraulic unit of a small hydroelectric power station (SHPP) includes a generator, turbines and automatic control systems. Based on the type of hydro resources used, SHPPs are divided into categories: new run-of-river or dam stations with small reservoirs; stations operating using the high-speed energy of the free flow of rivers; stations that use existing differences in water levels in bottling water facilities - from water treatment complexes to shipping facilities (today there is experience in the use of drinking water pipelines, sewerage and industrial wastewater).

The use of energy from small watercourses using small hydroelectric power stations is one of the most effective areas for the development of renewable energy in our country. Most of the resources small hydropower in Russia they are concentrated in the Far East, the North Caucasus, the North-West (Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Karelia, Kaliningrad), Tuva, Altai, the Tyumen region and Yakutia.

Micro hydroelectric power stations (power up to 100 kW) are installed almost anywhere. The hydraulic unit includes a water intake device, a power unit and an automatic control device. Micro hydroelectric power stations are used as sources of electricity for farms, holiday villages, hamlets and small industries in hard-to-reach areas - where it is unprofitable to lay networks.

Small hydropower is in demand only by 1%

The technical and economic capabilities of small hydropower in our country exceed the capabilities of the following renewable sources: sun, wind, biomass, and all of them combined. Today it is estimated at 60 billion kWh per year. But this potential is used poorly: only by 1%. In the 1950-60s, several thousand SHPPs operated. Today - only a few hundred - are reflected in the consequences of distortions in the pricing policy and poor attention to improving the quality and professionalism of equipment designs, to the use of advanced technologies and materials.

On the issue of ecology

The main advantage of small hydropower is safety from an environmental point of view. During the construction of facilities in this industry and their further operation, there are no harmful effects on the quality and properties of water. Reservoirs can be used for fishing activities and as sources of water supply for the population. But besides this, small and micro hydroelectric power stations have many advantages. Modern stations have simple designs and are fully automated, i.e. during operation they do not require human presence.

The electric current generated by them meets GOST requirements for voltage and frequency, and the stations are capable of operating autonomously, i.e. outside the electrical network of the energy system of the region or region, and as part of this electrical network. The total service life of the station is more than 40 years (at least 5 years before major repairs). And the main advantage is that small hydropower facilities do not require the organization of large reservoirs with corresponding enormous material damage and flooding of the territory.

About equipment manufacturing companies

In the 1990s, due to a decrease in the volume of large-scale construction in the domestic hydropower industry, our country partially reoriented production enterprises to the needs of small hydropower, here are some of them: Tyazhmash JSC (Syzran city), LMZ JSC and NPO TsKTI JSC (city of St. Petersburg), etc. At the same time, joint-stock companies and small enterprises producing equipment for small hydroelectric power stations were formed, including as part of the conversion. The most famous: NPC Rand and JSC MNTO Inset from St. Petersburg, JSC Energomash, JSC NIIES and JSC Napor from Moscow. Among the equipment suppliers, we note regional organizations that were once part of the All-Union Institute "Hydroproject".

Today, the domestic market offers complete hydraulic units with automatic regulation and control systems for autonomous and networked SHPPs for pressures from 1 to 250 meters, as well as lifting and non-standard hydromechanical equipment, pressure pipelines, transformer substations, pre-turbine valves, switchgears and other components that needed for the construction of small hydropower facilities. For small hydropower plants using strategic pressure, hydraulic units with radial-axial, bucket, propeller, cross- and inclined-jet, frontal hydraulic turbines with a simplified design are used. For small hydroelectric power plants using high-speed pressure, hydraulic turbines of the Wells, Darrieus, Savonius and others types are used. Generators for small hydroelectric power plants are produced by Privod JSC (Lysva), Elektrosila JSC (St. Petersburg), SEGPO JSC (Sarapul), Ural-Electrotyazhmash JSC, SEZ JSC (Safonovo), etc.

Nature has provided us with the most unpretentious method of obtaining energy. Alas, we practically don’t use it. We can only hope that in the future, with the development of small-scale production, there will still be a need to use the energy of a huge number of natural reservoirs in Russia.

Small hydroelectric power station "Chala"

In St. Petersburg, the Georgian small hydroelectric power station “Chala” was put into operation, with a capacity of 1500 kW (three hydroelectric units of 500 kW each). This station has been under construction since 1994, and the first hydraulic units were shipped back in 1995-1996. But the completion of construction on time was prevented by the lack of financial resources from the customer, a distillery producing alcoholic beverages (previously it was the Tears of the Vine plant, famous on the domestic market). But not only the plant needed the station: next to the SHPP there is a village where until recently there was no electricity.

The peculiarity of the station is that it operates hydraulic units with bucket turbines, which have not been produced in Russia for about 30 years. They are designed for high pressures of relatively small amounts of water; they should be used in high mountainous regions: the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria, Transcaucasia, Chechnya, Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia. At the Chala SHPP (pressure 200 meters), 300 liters of water are enough to provide a power of 500 kW.

Precision casting technology was used to produce turbine buckets at the station. They were produced at the plant named after. Klimov in St. Petersburg.

In Russia, small hydropower includes damless hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), the power of which does not exceed 30 MW, and the power of a single hydroelectric unit is less than 10 MW. Such hydroelectric power stations, in turn, are divided into:

• micro-hydroelectric power station (power from 1.5 to 100 kW);
• small hydroelectric power stations (power from 100 kW to 30 MW).

Examples of small hydroelectric power plants in Russia: Republic of Tyva - small hydroelectric power station with an installed capacity of 168 kW; Altai Republic - small hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 400 kW; Kamchatka region - HPP-1 with a capacity of 1.7 MW on the Bystraya River, Tolmachevsky HPP cascade.

Micro and small hydroelectric power stations play a major role in energy supply to remote areas that are energy-scarce and occupy up to 40% of the territory of Russia. The development of small hydropower in the regions ensures:

• creation of our own regional generating capacities and reduction of electricity shortages in the region;
• reliable power supply of high-quality electricity to populated areas in remote areas and at the end sections of main power lines;
• achieving economic and social stability in settlements that are still not connected to the unified energy system;
• reduction of regional subsidies associated with the purchase and delivery of fuel to hard-to-reach areas.

Experts call public attitude towards such projects one of the main advantages of small hydroelectric power plants (SHPPs). Such stations cause much less harm to the environment than large hydroelectric power plants. Among other advantages, the beneficial impact of SHPPs on regional development and business stimulation through the small hydropower market also stands out.

Currently, small hydroelectric power stations operating in Russia provide about 2.2 billion kWh/year, and their technical potential is estimated at 382 billion kWh/year.

The natural conditions characteristic of the European part of Russia can ensure the generation of electricity at small hydroelectric power stations, which fully satisfies the needs of areas whose economy is focused on agricultural production. The construction of small hydroelectric power stations will also make it possible to effectively use river water resources for the purposes of water supply, fishing, transport, etc.

The list of potential energy sources for small hydropower is unusually wide. These are small rivers, streams, natural elevation changes on lake spillways and on irrigation canals of irrigation systems. Turbines of small hydroelectric power plants can be used as energy absorbers at differences in heights of drinking and other pipelines intended for pumping various types of liquid products. In addition, the installation of small hydropower units is possible on process watercourses, such as industrial and sewer discharges.

It is estimated that the energy potential of small hydropower in Russia exceeds the potential of such renewable energy sources as wind, solar and biomass combined. However, Russia, having such enormous potential, is currently, for a number of reasons, significantly behind other countries in the use of this resource.

Table 1. Potential of SHPPs in the Russian Federation (billion kWh/year)

Source: www.ne-fund.ru

The main factors for accelerating the development of small hydropower in Russia include:

• accidents that have become more frequent in the country’s energy system (hydraulic units can be sources of autonomous power supply);
• requirements for the environmental friendliness of generated energy, which have become especially relevant in connection with the introduction of the Kyoto Protocol.

The primary objects of consideration for the construction of small hydroelectric power stations are existing and unused hydroelectric power stations. According to preliminary estimates, 58% of the country's medium-sized and 90% of small reservoirs (20 and 1 million m3, respectively) are not used to generate electricity.

An energy-ecological niche for small hydroelectric power plants can be the water supply to urban industry, etc. In water supply systems, micro-hydroelectric power stations can be built in water supply systems on sections of the route with a large difference in surface elevations instead of various types of mine interfaces, energy absorbers and other structures. With water flow rates ranging from 5 to 100 l/s, their power can reach from 20 to 200 kW.

The profitability of small hydroelectric power plants is ensured by simplifying their control scheme (for example, due to ballast load) and operation without maintenance personnel. The efficiency of SHPPs can also be increased through the multi-purpose use of its structures, as well as when delivering power to the local network (without long power lines).

Small hydropower development program

Currently, JSC HydroOGK (www.gidroogk.ru, the largest federal hydroelectric power generating company) is developing a comprehensive plan for the development of small hydropower for 2008-2010 and for the future until 2020, providing for the commissioning of more than 300 MW of installed capacity by 2010. The main sections are concentrated in the Central part, in the North-West of Russia, in the Volga region, in the Urals and in the Caucasus (more than 290 sections).

Table 2. Capacity commissioning plan

Source: www.ne-fund.ru

The goal of this program is the implementation of cost-effective projects in the field of construction and reconstruction of small hydroelectric power stations with a total (total) installed capacity of at least 1000 MW in the period until 2020, as well as attracting private investment in the implementation of projects.

Table 3. Projects for the construction of small hydropower plants

*Calculations are preliminary and subject to clarification.

** Including 205 million rubles from the funds of the Federal Target Program “South of Russia”.

Non-traditional energy is what the whole world is currently focusing on. And it's pretty easy to explain. High tides, low tides, sea surf, currents of small and large rivers, the Earth's magnetic field and, finally, wind - there are inexhaustible sources of energy, cheap and renewable energy, and it would be a big mistake not to take advantage of such a gift from Mother Nature. Another advantage of such energy is the ability to provide cheap electricity to hard-to-reach areas, say, high mountain areas or remote taiga villages, in other words, those settlements where it is impractical to lay a power line.

Do you know that 2/3 of Russia’s territory is not connected to the energy system? There are even settlements where there has never been electricity, and these are not necessarily villages in the Far North or endless Siberia. Electricity, for example, is not supplied to some settlements in the Urals, but these areas cannot in any way be called disadvantaged in terms of energy. Meanwhile, electrification of hard-to-reach settlements is not such a difficult problem, because it is difficult to find a settlement where there is no river or at least a small stream - here is a way out of the situation. It is on such a stream, not to mention a river, that a mini hydroelectric power station can be installed.

So what are mini and small hydroelectric power plants? These are small stations that produce electricity by using the flow of locally available water resources. Hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of less than 3 thousand kilowatts are considered small. And they belong to small energy. Such energy has begun to develop rapidly in the last decade. Which in turn is associated with the desire to cause as little environmental damage as possible to nature, which cannot be avoided during the construction of large hydroelectric power plants. After all, large reservoirs change the landscape, destroy natural spawning grounds, block migration routes for fish, and most importantly, after some time they will definitely turn into a swamp. The development of small-scale energy is also associated with the provision of energy to hard-to-reach and isolated places, as well as with the rapid return on investment (within five years).

Typically, a small hydroelectric power plant (SHPP) consists of a generator, a turbine and a control system. SHPPs are also divided by type of use; these are primarily dam stations with reservoirs that occupy a small area. There are stations that operate without the construction of a dam, but simply due to the free flow of the river. There are stations that use existing water drops, either natural or artificial, to operate. Natural drops are often found in mountainous areas; artificial drops are common water management facilities, from structures adapted for navigation to water purification complexes, including drinking water pipelines and even sewage drains.

Small hydropower in its technical and economic capabilities exceeds such sources of small energy as stations using wind energy, solar energy and bioenergy stations combined. Currently, they can produce approximately 60 billion kWh per year, but, unfortunately, this potential is used extremely poorly, by only 1%. Until the end of the 60s, thousands of SHPPs were in operation; today there are several hundred of them. All these are consequences of the distortions of the Soviet state related to pricing policy and more.

But let’s return to the issue of environmental consequences during the construction of SHPPs. The main advantage of small hydroelectric power plants is complete safety from an environmental point of view. The properties of water, both chemical and physical, do not change during the construction and operation of these facilities. Reservoirs can be used as reservoirs for drinking water and for fish farming. But the main advantage is that for SHPPs it is not at all necessary to build large reservoirs that cause enormous material damage and flooding of large areas.
In addition, such stations have a number of other advantages: they are simple in design and the possibility of complete mechanization; during their operation, human presence is not at all necessary. The generated electricity complies with generally accepted standards, both in voltage and frequency. The autonomy of such a station can also be considered a big plus. SHPPs also have a long service life - 40 years or more.

Let's talk about small hydroelectric power stations today. About those that are almost no longer in use, about those whose skeletons and dilapidated dams are found in various parts of our country.

How did they appear, why were they erected and why did they then en masse sink into oblivion, leaving behind only picturesque ruins and a few black and white photographs?

To understand, we will have to turn to the history of the development of the electric power industry in Russia, and we will start from the very beginning, when the first light bulbs of Tsarist Russia were lit.

In the late 70s - early 80s of the 19th century, with the invention of direct current generators and electric lamps, early projects of point electrification (more precisely, lighting and illumination) appeared.

Like any innovative project, electricity cost a lot of money, and appeared primarily where people were willing to pay the money. It is not surprising that the first lamps illuminated Nevsky Prospekt, Liteyny Bridge, the Kremlin, the Winter Palace and the Hermitage, and with them mini-power plants appeared nearby, consisting of several boilers, the steam of which rotated the turbines of dynamos.

A. P. Bogolyubov. Illumination of the Kremlin [on the occasion of the coronation of Alexander III]. 1883

By the end of the 80s, low-power generators appeared in factories, in prosperous stores, and in the homes of wealthy residents. At the same time, the first regional power plants (Georgievskaya, Gorodskaya, Universitetskaya, Dvortsovaya) were opened, serving specific facilities or consumers within a kilometer radius. Electricity is still used only for lighting, direct current flows through the wires, and there is no talk of any single power system.

Left. Georgievskaya power plant on Bolshaya Dmitrovka. Now the New Manege. 1903 Photo http://pastvu.com/
On right. Power plant of the Zhigulevsky brewery in Samara. 1898 Photo http://historical-samara.rf/

A new impetus to the spread of electricity was given by the first mass alternating current generators that appeared in the 90s of the 19th century. Their use made it possible to reduce transmission losses and, accordingly, increase the maximum length of the line and at the same time increase the power of stations.

The scope of use of electricity also expanded, industrial equipment began to switch to electric traction en masse, and tram lines opened in a number of cities. Until the end of the 19th century, several alternating current power plants were launched in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the power of which was already measured in megawatts.

Left. Cable laying on Sofiyskaya embankment. Photo http://so-l.ru/
Above. Tram on the street of Moscow. Photo http://so-l.ru/
From below. Turbine room of the power plant on Raushskaya embankment. 1911 Photo http://pastvu.com/

At the same time, the first hydroelectric power stations appeared. The Zyryanovsky mine in Altai is launching a 150 kW station for its own needs, and the Okhtinsky Powder Plant near St. Petersburg is building a 300 kW hydroelectric power station. The White Coal hydroelectric station, between Kislovodsk and Essentuki, brings electric light to the streets of adjacent resorts, drives trams and powers pumps that raise mineral waters.

Left. Hydroelectric power station on the Podkumok River. Postcard from the early 20th century.
On right. Hydroelectric power station of the Okhtinsky powder plant. 1912 Photo http://pastvu.com/

During the first decade of the 20th century, the process of building urban power plants covered the regions of the Russian Empire, with power plants appearing in Kursk, Yaroslavl, Chita, Vladivostok and many other large cities. Power is growing, existing power plants are being modernized, electricity transmission mechanisms are being improved, and electricity is finding more and more new areas of application.

By 1917, the capacity of all 78 hydroelectric power stations of the Russian Empire was about 17 MW, of which two (Alaverdin and Hindu Kush) had a capacity of over 1 MW. In addition, in the country there were up to two thousand small hydraulic turbine units operating on mechanical drives, and about 40 thousand mills with water wheels with an average power of 10 hp.

Left. Generators of the Hindu Kush hydroelectric power station - the most powerful hydroelectric station in the Russian Empire. Nowadays it is located on the territory of Turkmenistan. 1911. Photo by S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky.
On right. Water wheel of a small mill in Abkhazia

But if you were a resident of the village, then a candle and a torch still burned in your hut, manual drive dominated the farm, and the only means of mechanization was a horse.

The third stage of development of the electric power industry began under Soviet rule. Immediately after the revolution, the GOELRO (State Electrification of Russia) plan was developed and adopted, according to which the growing demands for electricity from the growing Soviet industry were to be provided with generating capacities at a faster pace.

Poster by A. Lemeschenko “GOELRO Plan” (from a triptych). 1967. Photo RIA Novosti archive, image #763450 / RIA Novosti / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17824956

It is important to note here that this process was completely natural, and not that under the tsar the country was with a plow, and then Lenin came, spread the situation and began building stations left and right. The authors of the plan were mostly the same specialists who held the corresponding positions under the tsar.

One way or another, the GOELRO plan provided for the construction over 10-15 years of 30 large power plants (20 thermal power plants and 10 hydroelectric power stations) in various regions of the country from the Urals to the Caucasus, designed to create an energy framework to provide electricity to enterprises under construction.

The Volkhov hydroelectric power station is one of the first hydroelectric power stations built according to the GOELRO plan. Photo by Wilson44691 - own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7055784

But it was supposed to solve the peasant’s problems with a candle and a torch, and to carry out the electrification of agriculture “on the basis of the widespread use of local energy resources, in particular the hydropower of small rivers.” This is what Channel One would have said if it had existed in those days.

But at the everyday level, everything was much simpler - until 1954, there were serious restrictions on connecting agricultural areas to state power systems, and in most cases, the only source of electricity in rural areas was those same small hydroelectric power stations.

As a rule, stations were built according to rather weak designs, often not taking into account real hydrological conditions. The materials were predominantly local; literally everything that came to hand was used, often to the detriment of quality. The equipment was not standardized and was manufactured by local factories, and the turbine, for example, may well have had wooden blades.

Hydroelectric power station on the Protva River in the village. Borisovo, Mozhaisk district. Built in the 30s as part of the GOELRO plan. Photo http://pastvu.com/

It is no wonder that after the ban was lifted in 1954, most small hydroelectric power plants were decommissioned and dismantled, but quite a few were built. In the period before 1941, about 950 small hydroelectric power plants with an average power of 35 kW were launched, and in the post-war period their number increased to a maximum of 6614 in 1952. At the same time, the average power increased slightly, to the level of 40 kW.

Photo maxzhukov

A typical example of a pre-war wave station is the first small hydroelectric power station in the Lipetsk region, built in 1923 near the village of Kurapovo. The station operated only one water turbine of the Francis system, with bog oak blades, coupled with a 76 kW generator. The station operated until 1953, when the Troekurovskaya hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 500 kW was opened nearby. The remains of the dam and the “turbine room” box can still be seen on the Beautiful Sword.

In the early 50s of the 20th century, a course was set for the construction of larger, and therefore more economical and reliable, stations. The larger ones were called rural hydroelectric power stations (power on average 440 kW), the smaller ones were called inter-collective farm hydroelectric power stations (about 300 kW). Only in 1951-1953. in different parts of the country, a little over a hundred of both were built. One of them was the Troyekurovskaya hydroelectric station mentioned above.

Temporary solutions have been replaced by a scientific approach. Hydropower resources of local importance and the possibility of their development were calculated, a separate structure “Giproselelectro” was created for the design of small stations, and the All-Union Institute of Hydraulic Machines developed a range of turbines for small hydroelectric power stations, the production of which was undertaken by the Shchelkovo plant and “Uralgidromash” (Sysert).

But the centralized energy supply did not stand still; by the 70s, dozens of large hydro and thermal power plants were put into operation, the shortage of energy resources was a thing of the past, and the construction of small hydroelectric power plants in the country practically stopped. Most of the operating small hydroelectric power plants were abandoned due to the relatively high cost of generated electricity and operational difficulties. It is their skeletons that we see in the outback along the banks of small rivers.

Photo victorborisov

Are there any prospects for small hydropower plants?

Of course there is, and above all in hard-to-reach areas rich in energy resources. For example, over the past 20 years, RusHydro has commissioned and reconstructed several dozen SHPPs, primarily these cascades of the Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkarian SHPPs.

If we are talking about the Central region, then everything is somewhat more complicated.

The minimum power from which it makes sense to operate SHPPs, taking into account the widespread availability of a unified energy system, is at the level of 1 MW. To ensure such indicators, pressure is required, which can only be created on the average river in the Central region by erecting a dam and creating a reservoir, which is not always possible.

Stations of smaller capacity, without a large reservoir, require either inclusion in the UES or the construction of a thermal station in the neighborhood. This is due to the fact that during certain periods the power generated by SHPPs can drop to zero. For example, in the middle of summer, water flow can be critically reduced, and during a spring flood, the pressure can decrease to zero due to a rise in the water level in the downstream.

There is, however, another path that was taken at the Yaropoletskaya HPP. The station was restored as a monument of architecture and cultural heritage, although it is not operational, but simply pleasing to the eye.

One way or another, I am for small hydroelectric power stations to survive. To hell with electricity, because hydroelectric power stations are simply beautiful :-)

Photo muph

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INTRODUCTION

Even in ancient times, people paid attention to rivers as an accessible source of energy. To use this energy, people learned to build water wheels that rotated water; these wheels set in motion mill buildings and other installations. The water mill is a striking example of the oldest hydropower installation, preserved in many countries to this day almost in its original form. Before the invention of the steam engine, water energy was the main motive force in production. As water wheels improved, the power of hydraulic systems driving machines, etc. increased. In the 1st half of the 19th century, a hydraulic turbine was invented, which opened up new possibilities for the use of hydropower resources. With the invention of the electric machine and the method of transmitting electricity over long distances, the development of water energy began by converting it into electrical energy at hydroelectric power stations (HPPs)

Small and micro hydroelectric power stations are small hydropower facilities. This part of energy production deals with the use of energy from water resources and hydraulic systems using low-power hydropower plants (from 1 to 3000 kW). Small-scale energy has developed in the world in recent decades, mainly due to the desire to avoid environmental damage caused by the reservoirs of large hydroelectric power stations, due to the ability to provide energy supply in hard-to-reach and isolated areas, as well as due to low capital costs in the construction of stations and quick return on investment (within 5 years). The construction of SHPPs also has broad prospects for development in various regions of the world with transboundary river basins.

Currently, there is no concept of a small hydroelectric power station generally accepted for all countries. However, in many countries, its installed capacity is taken as the main characteristic of such a hydroelectric power station. Small hydroelectric power plants, as a rule, include hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of up to 10 MW (in some countries up to 50 MW).

Small hydropower is free from many of the disadvantages of large hydroelectric power plants and is recognized as one of the most economical and environmentally friendly ways to generate electricity, especially when using small watercourses. Small, micro- or nano-hydroelectric power plants combine the advantages of a large hydroelectric power station on the one hand and the possibility of decentralized energy supply on the other hand. They do not have many of the disadvantages characteristic of large hydroelectric power plants, namely: expensive transmissions, problems associated with a negative impact on the environment.

1. PROSPECTS FOR THE USE OF SMALL HYDROPOWER

Over the past decades, small hydropower has taken a stable position in many countries of the world. For example, in 2005, the total capacity of small hydropower plants in the world increased by 8% (5 GW) and reached 66 GW, and it accounted for 36% of the total capacity of all renewable energy sources (excluding large hydropower) and 1.6% of total electric power capacity. Thus, we can say that SHPPs are one of the main sources of electricity among renewable resources.

Developing countries are building small hydropower plants as autonomous sources of electricity in rural areas.

In Switzerland, the share of electricity production from SHPPs reached 8.3%, in Spain - 2.8%, in Sweden - almost 3%, and in Austria - 10%. The leading positions in terms of total generating capacity of SHPPs are occupied by: China (47 GW), Japan (4 GW), USA (3.4 GW), Italy and Brazil.

According to ESHA (European Small Hydropower Association), in 2011 the total installed capacity of SHPPs in the world amounted to 87 GW.

Total capacities of MGES:

Thus, it can be said that small hydropower will remain one of the most important and competitive renewable energy sources. Latin America, North America and Europe have significant hydroelectric potential, much of which has already been tapped. In East, South Asia and Africa, small hydropower is still underdeveloped, which indicates great potential for its use in these countries.

1.2 IN RUSSIA

renewable source hydropower small

In Russia, zones of decentralized energy supply account for more than 70% of the country's territory. You can still find settlements here that have never had electricity. Moreover, these are not always settlements of the Far North or Siberia. Electrification did not affect, for example, some Ural villages - a region that can hardly be called disadvantaged in terms of energy. Meanwhile, electrification of remote and hard-to-reach populated settlements is not such a difficult matter. So, in any corner of Russia there is a river or stream where a micro-hydroelectric power station can be installed.

The technical and economic potential of small hydropower in Russia exceeds the potential of such renewable energy sources as wind, solar and biomass combined. Currently it is set at 60 billion kWh per year. But this potential is used extremely poorly: only 1%. Not so long ago, in the 1950-60s, we had several thousand small hydroelectric power stations in operation. Now - only a few hundred - the results of distortions in the pricing policy and insufficient attention to improving equipment designs and the use of more advanced materials and technologies have affected.

In Russia, small hydropower is represented by damless hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), the power of which does not exceed 30 MW, and the power of a single hydroelectric unit is less than 10 MW.

Currently, throughout Russia, the number of operating SHPPs is estimated from several dozen (60-70 units) to several hundred (200-300 units).

1.3 IN UKRAINE

Only historians and industry specialists remember that after the Second World War, Ukraine’s energy supply was carried out mainly through small hydroelectric power. In total, at the beginning of the 1960s, there were about 956 small hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 30 thousand kW. For comparison: in 1948, 3 thousand small hydraulic installations operated in the republic. However, due to the development of centralized power supply and the concentration of electricity production at powerful thermal and hydroelectric power stations, the construction of small hydroelectric power stations was stopped. Their conservation and dismantling began, hundreds of mini-hydroelectric power plants were destroyed, and their equipment was stolen.

By the end of the 1980s, only 49 stations were preserved, and until 1995, practically no one was involved in small hydropower in Ukraine. Only in 1996 did the first enthusiasts appear who showed interest in it. Several years ago, at the state level, it was decided to revise energy policy and revive small hydroelectric power plants. According to the Ukrhydroenergo association, 81 small hydroelectric power stations and seven micro-installations with a total capacity of 111.75 MW are operating in Ukraine today, which is only about 5% of the country’s technically possible potential.

Of the currently operating state-owned SHPPs, there are 25, while five of them are on the balance sheet of the State Water Resources Agency and 20 belong to the corresponding oblenergos (“Vinnitsaoblenergo” - five, “Zakarpattia oblenergo” - three, “Kyivenergo” - two, “Kirovogradoblenergo” - four and etc.). In the event of privatization of oblenergos, hydroelectric power stations also pass into private hands. In addition, many small stations were collectively owned, since they were built by collective farms. Today they were almost completely bought out by private owners. Plants that have already been restored are also private (for example, the Yablunetskaya SHPP was purchased by the Novosvit association back in 2002).

The operation of mini-hydroelectric power plants in Ukraine makes it possible to produce about 250 million kWh of electricity per year, which is equivalent to annual savings of up to 75 thousand tons of fossil fuel.

2. PROS AND DISADVANTAGES OF SHPP

One of the main advantages of small hydropower facilities is environmental safety. During their construction and subsequent operation there are no harmful effects on the properties and quality of water. Reservoirs can be used for fishing activities and as sources of water supply for the population. However, in addition to this, micro and small hydroelectric power stations have many advantages. Modern stations are simple in design and fully automated, i.e. do not require human presence during operation. The electric current they generate meets GOST requirements for frequency and voltage, and the stations can operate in autonomous mode, i.e. outside the power grid of the power system of the region or region, and as part of this power grid. And the full service life of the station is at least 40 years (at least 5 years before major repairs). Well, and most importantly, small-scale energy facilities do not require the organization of large reservoirs with corresponding flooding of the territory and colossal material damage.

During the construction and operation of SHPPs, the natural landscape is preserved and there is virtually no load on the ecosystem. The advantages of small hydropower - compared to power plants using fossil fuels - also include: low cost of electricity and operating costs, relatively inexpensive replacement of equipment, longer service life of hydroelectric power plants (40-50 years), integrated use of water resources (electricity, water supply, reclamation, water protection, fisheries).

Many of the small hydroelectric power plants do not always provide guaranteed energy production, being seasonal power plants. In winter, their energy output drops sharply, snow cover and ice phenomena (ice and sludge), as well as summer low water and drying up of rivers, can completely stop their work. The seasonality of small hydropower plants requires backup energy sources; a large number of them can lead to a loss of reliability of energy supply. Therefore, in many areas, the power of small hydroelectric power stations is considered not as the main one, but as a backup one.

Reservoirs of small hydroelectric power stations, especially in mountainous and foothill areas, have a very acute problem of their siltation and the associated problem of rising water levels, flooding and flooding, reducing the hydropower potential of rivers and generating electricity. It is known, for example, that the reservoir of the Zemonechal hydroelectric power station on the Kura River was silted by 60% within 5 years.

For fisheries, small hydroelectric dams are less dangerous than medium and large ones, which block the migration routes of anadromous and semi-anadromous fish and block spawning grounds. Although, in general, the creation of waterworks does not completely eliminate the damage to the fish stock on the main rivers, because A river basin is a single ecological system and violations of its individual links inevitably affect the system as a whole.

CONCLUSION

From all of the above it follows that small hydropower occupies a stable position both in the world and in Ukraine.

The construction and reconstruction of small hydroelectric power stations will make it possible not only to obtain environmentally friendly electricity, but also to provide electricity to energy-deficient areas where there are no powerful current sources. The development of small hydropower contributes to the decentralization of the overall energy system, which makes it possible to stably provide hard-to-reach villages with electricity. The energy generated by small hydroelectric power plants is used by nearby consumers; accordingly, costs for its transportation are reduced and the reliability of energy supply increases. In addition, hydroelectric power stations can perform other tasks, for example, protecting adjacent areas from seasonal floods.

Taking into account the limited hydro resources in the world, it can be assumed that in the period until 2030, the pace of hydropower development will noticeably decrease, but at the same time the diversification of small hydropower will be supported. With a growth rate of 4.5-4.7%, electricity production at small hydropower plants will reach 770-780 TWh by 2030, which will account for more than 2% of all electricity production in the world. Thus, we can say that small hydropower will remain one of the most important and competitive renewable energy sources in the foreseeable future.

LITERATURE

1. Berezovsky N.I. etc. Energy saving technology

2. Volkov S.G., Hydropower, St. Petersburg, 1997.

3. Energy sources. Facts, problems, solutions, M., Science and Technology, 1997.

4. Mikhailov L.P. Small hydropower

5. Munts V.A. Energy saving in energy and heat technologies

6. Neporozhny P.S., Popkov V.I., Energy resources of the world, M., Energoatomizdat, 1995.

7. Samoilov M.V. Fundamentals of energy conservation

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