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Energy Systems and Technologies for the Coming Century ...

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The development of micro-hydro projects can lead to synergies or conflicts with o<strong>the</strong>rsocio-economic issues. A micro-hydropower project can be integrated into programsaddressing o<strong>the</strong>r local needs such as irrigation, flood prevention, flow regulation <strong>for</strong>navigation or <strong>the</strong> fostering of tourism activities. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r h<strong>and</strong>, <strong>the</strong> operation of amicro-hydro plant can also lead to negative effects like floods or insufficient water flow,<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>re<strong>for</strong>e result in conflict with o<strong>the</strong>r values of water flows (even those that can havepotential synergies). Appropriate communication <strong>and</strong> consultation strategies alreadyincluded in <strong>the</strong> design of projects can reduce such conflict risks.3.4 Small wind power systemsIn contrast to wind power <strong>for</strong> normal size on-grid applications, <strong>the</strong> industry of smallwind systems (below 10 kW rated power) seems to be still struggling to establish arobust market. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r h<strong>and</strong>, <strong>the</strong>re are already several manufactures that offercommercial product lines. They seem to be serving early niches <strong>for</strong> off-gridelectrification in both, developed <strong>and</strong> developing countries. Additionally, someinitiatives are fostering <strong>the</strong> development of local technical innovation <strong>and</strong> production ofsmall wind in developing countries. These initiatives are particularly focusing on <strong>the</strong>adaptation of free patent designs to materials <strong>and</strong> skills availability in <strong>the</strong>ir targetregions. Beyond <strong>the</strong> wind turbine, an off-grid system comprises many o<strong>the</strong>r elementslike batteries, charge controller, DC-AC inverter, different electric components as well asstructural elements (i.e. tower <strong>and</strong> wires), as schematic described in Figure 5.Figure 5. Schematic view of a wind power system <strong>for</strong> off-grid applications. (SolucionesPracticas, 2009)Disregarding <strong>the</strong> kind <strong>and</strong> specialization of <strong>the</strong> manufacturers, <strong>the</strong> lack of st<strong>and</strong>ardisationseems to be a key factor hindering <strong>the</strong> broad diffusion of <strong>the</strong> technology. Already <strong>the</strong>selection of a turbine requires not only technical knowledge but also access to ‘insiderin<strong>for</strong>mation’ that are not necessarily available in catalogues or h<strong>and</strong>books. Additionally,establishing sustainable networks <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> supply of equipments <strong>and</strong> services requireimportant ef<strong>for</strong>ts in building <strong>and</strong> spreading technical know-how, marketing <strong>and</strong>managerial skills.4 ConclusionsThe Technology Radar is proposed as a tool to systematically identify <strong>and</strong> evaluaterenewable energy technologies, which can be applied <strong>for</strong> tackling specific energy-related8Risø International <strong>Energy</strong> Conference 2011 Proceedings Page 352

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