WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

For New Zealand, the remaining potential is
approximately 620 MW (not including sites in the
protected areas). Similar to Australia, there are many
green field sites that are physically suitable for smallscale
hydropower development, but there would also
be potential environmental and social issues, with the
main barriers to development being the large number
of protected areas, competing uses for water and a
long and expensive consenting process. However,
investigation for new sites is actively being pursued.
Australia and New Zealand have a large number of
dams, without any form of electricity generation,
which could be retrofitted to add hydropower
generation. This is an area for future hydropower
development in this region.
In addition, small hydropower generation could be
fitted to other existing water resource structures, such
as barrages, weirs, canals and other water conduits.
These often have very low hydraulic head, so they
require the use of specific low head (or in-stream
flow) technologies. There are also opportunities to
retrofit water supply and waste water schemes that
have significant hydraulic head.
Small hydropower represents a very small component
of Australia’s electricity system and is not expected to
play a significant role in the country’s energy future.
Primary reasons for this are abundant and low cost
thermal electricity generation and the great variability
in hydrologic regimes. Incentives for renewable
energies, in part to combat the potential effects of
climate change, are focused primarily on wind and
solar power, which are considered to have greater
potential.
References
1. Australian Energy Regulator (2012). State of the
Energy Market 2012. Available from
www.aer.gov.au/node/18959.
2. New Zealand, Ministry of Economic Development
(2012). New Zealand Energy Data File 2012. Available
from www.med.govt.nz/sectorsindustries/energy/pdf-docs-library/energy-data-andmodelling/publications/energy-datafile/energydatafile-2011.pdf.
3. New Zealand, Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Authority (2005). Fact sheet 6: Small Hydro.
4. Australia, Clean Energy Council (2010). Clean Energy
Australia: The future is now. Melbourne. November.
5. Australia, Clean Energy Council (2011). Renewable
Energy Map – Power Plant Report. Available from
www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/resourcecentre/plant
registermap.html. Accessed November 2011.
6. New Zealand Electric Authority (2011). Data
summarized by author.
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