Technology Status - NET Nowak Energie & Technologie AG

could achieve cost reductions of 1.5% and small turbines 3-4%. For low-head
and supplemental hydropower plants, the relative importance of the turbine in
overall cost is greater than 25%. Thus, greater cost reductions could be
achieved by improving turbine efficiency for those types of plant. For
supplemental SHP plants supplying drinking or irrigation water, turbine pumps
working simultaneously to generate electricity can be a good solution.
Civil Engineering
Since civil engineering represents a large share of SHP plant costs, research
is being carried out on improved materials and methods for construction.
New techniques to reduce erosion, and new materials to lower costs have
been developed.
Operation and Maintenance
O&M costs can be reduced by using standard industrial components,
standardised modular equipment and highly automated monitoring devices
(remote control, web cams and microphones). Generally speaking, costs are
predicted to fall faster for low-head and supplemental plants due to the
significant cost share and reduction potential of the electrical equipment in
these systems. Costs of high-head plants will decrease less, mainly because
in such plants the civil engineering costs – with smaller cost-reduction
potential – represent about 60% of the total costs, compared to 50% for lowhead
plants and 30% for supplemental plants.
● Market Opportunities
Market Potential
Potential SHP technical capacity worldwide is estimated at 150-200 GW.
World hydropower economic potential is estimated at about 7,300 TWh per
year, of which 32% has been developed, but only 5% (117 TWh) through
small-scale sites.
In Asia, (India, Nepal and China) almost 15% of the potential technical SHP
capacity (60-80 GW) has been developed, while in South America only 7%
of its potential (40-50 GW) has been realised. In the Pacific and in Africa,
less than 5% of the potential (5-10 GW and 40-60 GW, respectively) has
been developed. Figure 17 shows the total hydropower technical
potential, compared to economically feasible potential and present
production.
In North America and Europe, a larger share of the technical potential has
already been developed than in developing countries. A recent Canadian
study identified 3,600 sites with a technically feasible total potential of about
9,000 MW, but of this, only about 15% would be economically feasible,
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SMALL HYDROPOWER
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