Establishment of micro hydropower power generation facilities in mountain areas

Hydropower energy is well known as clean renewable energy. In particular, hydroelectric energy has a great advantage in that it has high efficiency compared to other energy sources. In addition, it is possible to obtain stable and constant output at all times due to its high operating rate. Compared to other countries, Korea has mountainous terrain and many small rivers. In these sites, it will be possible to build a power generation facility with a micro-level output rather than a high power generation output. The most important factors in determining generator output are flow and head. In order to operate the generator most efficiently, a constant flow rate must be maintained at all times, and the amount of head must be be the same. In general, small rivers in rural areas have large fluctuations in flow rate. Therefore, the selection of the water turbine is very important. In this study, a cross-flow water turbine that can easily respond to changes in flow rate selected, and a squirrel cage induction generator was applied in consideration of economic feasibility and maintenance when selecting a generator. This research team compared and analyzed the difference between design and operation through simulation and measurement of the power and power factor obtained from the induction generator when it is installed and operated in the field after determining the output considering the flow rate and the head. © 2021 Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers. All rights reserved.