Small hydro is the development of hydroelectric power on a scale suitable for local community and industry, or to contribute to distributed generation in a regional electricity grid. Exact definitions vary, but a "small hydro" project is less than 50 megawatts (MW), and can be further subdivide by scale into "mini" (<1MW), "micro" (<100 kW), "pico" (<10 kW). In contrast many hydroelectric projects are of enormous size, such as the generating plant at the Three Gorges Dam at 22,500 megawatts or the vast multiple projects of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the City of New Westminster, where the city runs its own electrical department and portions of the West Kootenay, Okanagan, the Boundary Country and Similkameen regions, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis Inc. directly provides electric service to 213,000 customers and supplies municipally owned utilities in the same area. As a provincial Crown corporation, BC Hydro reports to the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, and is regulated by the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC). Its mandate is to generate, purchase, distribute and sell electricity.
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity produced from hydropower. In 2020 hydropower generated one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh, which was more than all other renewables combined and also more than nuclear power.
The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is considered the source stream of the Ganges on account of its greater length and discharge; however, in Hindu tradition and culture, the other headstream, the Bhagirathi, is considered the source stream.
Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Sutlej River in Bhakra Village near Bilaspur in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir.
Nandaprayag is a town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Nandaprayag is one of the Panch Prayag of Alaknanda River and lies at the confluence of the Alaknanda River and Nandakini River. Nandaprayag was once the capital of the Yadu kingdom.
Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amount of storage, in which case the storage reservoir is referred to as pondage. A plant without pondage is subject to seasonal river flows, thus the plant will operate as an intermittent energy source. Conventional hydro uses reservoirs, which regulate water for flood control, dispatchable electrical power, and the provision of fresh water for agriculture.
The Dhauliganga is a turbulent Himalayan river which rises in the border regions of India and China and flows south into the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. It joins the Alaknanda, the major source stream of the Ganges river.
Himachal Pradesh is extremely rich in its hydroelectricity resources. The state has about twenty five percent of the national potential. About 27,436 MW of hydroelectric power can be generated in the state by the construction of various hydroelectric projects on the five perennial river basins. Out of total hydroelectric potential of the state, 10,519 MW is harnessed so far, out of which only 7.6% is under the control of Himachal Pradesh Government while the rest is exploited by the Central Government. The state government has been giving the highest priority for its development, since hydroelectric generation can meet the growing need of power for industry, agriculture and rural electrification. It is also the biggest source of income to the state as it provides electricity to other states.
Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited is power generating organization in Andhra Pradesh. It undertakes operation and maintenance of the power plants and also setting up new power projects alongside upgrading the project's capacity. Under the recommendations of Hittenbhayya committee setup by TDP Govt..
Loharinag Pala Hydropower Project is a run-of-the-river hydroelectricity generating project planned by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd to have an output capacity of 600 MW. The project is located on the river Bhagirathi, the headstream of the Ganges River at Loharinag Pala, below the confluence of the Songad River, next to NH 108 in Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand state, India. This is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) upstream of the Tehri Dam.
Vishnuprayag is one of the Panch Prayag of Alaknanda River, and lies at the confluence of Alaknanda River and Dhauliganga River, in Chamoli district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Vishnuprayag derives its name from Vishnu, According to Hindu scriptures, it is the place where Sage Narada meditated, after which Vishnu appeared before him. It is near to Kagbhusandi Lake.
Lakhwar-Vyasi Dam project on Yamuna River, includes under-construction Lakhwar Dam and Power Station, Vyasi Dam, Hathiari Power Station and Katapathar Barrage, near the Lakhwar town in Kalsi block of Dehradun district of Uttarakhand in India, for the purpose of irrigation of 40,000 hectare land and total 927 MW hydroelectric power generation. "Lakhwar Dam" is a gravity dam near the Lohari village with 300MW power generation capacity. "Vyasi Dam" will be built 5 km downstream along with 120 MW "Hathiari Power Station" further 0.5 km downstream. "Katapathar Barrage", with the maximum ponding water level at 514.5m elevation, will be built further 2.75 km downstream of the Hathiari Power Station to supply the water to stakeholder states. Project will hold 580 million cubic metres water during monsoon and release into Yamuna during dry months.
The Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Plant is a 520 MW run-of-river hydroelectric project being constructed on Dhauliganga River in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, India. The plant is expected to generate over 2.5 TWh of electricity annually.
The Shahpurkandi Dam project is located on the Ravi River in Pathankot district, Punjab, India, downstream from the existing Ranjit Sagar Dam. The power houses will be constructed on Hydel Channel, which is downstream from Shahpurkandi Dam. The water released by Ranjit Sagar Dam is to be utilised for generating power for this project. The project will generate electricity of up to 206MW and provide irrigation to Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The construction of the dam is as per the framework of the Indus Water Treaty regarding sharing of rivers between India and Pakistan.
Kulamavu Dam is a gravity/masonry dam on Kilivillithode which is a tributary of the Periyar river Arakkulam Village in Idukki district of Kerala, India. It is one of the three dams associated with the Idukki hydro electric power project in the Indian state of Kerala. This dam is located towards the western side of the Idukki Arch Dam. This is a gravity dam with the top portion in concrete and the bottom in masonry.
The Chaskaman Dam is one of the important dams of Maharashtra and is built on the Bhima River at Rajgurunagar in Pune district. It is located across river Bhima in Krishna basin near Village Bibi in Khed taluka. The main purpose of this dam was to improve irrigation and supply of electricity to the nearby villages. It is the second Hydel Greenfield power project in the country that is capable of captive power as well. The power will be utilized through the state power board. The project is completed during 2008-09.
Veluthodu dam is a part of Kakkad Hydro Electric Project and is located in Seethathode panchayath of Ranni Taluk in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala, India. Its a Concrete-Gravity dam built across the Veluthodu river, a tributary of Kakkad River which is again a tributary of Pamba River The dam is built primarily for electricity. This diversion dam diverts water to the water conductor system from Moozhiyar reservoir to Kakkad Power Station. This power station utilises the tail race water from Sabarigiri power station and flow received from moozhiyar and velluthode rivers. After power generation, water from Kakkad power station is released to the Kakkad River. Taluks through which release flow are Ranni, Konni, Kozhencherry, Thiruvalla, Chengannur, Kuttanadu, Mavelikara and Karthikappally It is operated by Kerala State Electricity Board.
Adyanpara Weir is a small diversion dam constructed across Kanjirapuzha River at Adyanpara in Chaliyar panchayath of Kurumbalangode village in Malappuram district of Kerala, India. This weir is a part of Adyanpara SHEP, which envisages development of power by utilizing the potential of Kanjirapuzha stream, a tributary of Chaliyar river. It consist of a diversion weir, desilting chamber of splay type, power tunnel of length 968.50m, an underground surge tank in circular shape. The 3.5 megawatt hydroelectric project has been setup as part of the Small Hydro Electric Project. The water from the weir flows to Kanjirapuzha through the Taluk of Nilambur. The dam is a concrete-gravity type dam with a height of 5.56 metres (18.2 ft) and a length of 58 metres (190 ft).
Lower Meenmutty dam is a small dam Constructed across Kallar river in Nandiyodu Panchayath of Thiruvananthapuram District in Kerala, India. Lower Meenmutty weir is constructed as a part of Lower Meenmutty Small Hydro Electric Project. The scheme envisages the development of power by utilizing the water of river Kallar in the Vamanapuram basin. A power plant of 3.5 MegaWatt capacity generates the power using the waters from the dam. After the power generation the water flows to Kallar river and it further flows through Nedumangadu and Chirayinkeezhu.
