Optimal installation of small hydropower plant-A review

Most of the countries have access to large amounts of water through rivers and canal. With this renewable resource, electricity can be generated without polluting the environment. Because of the increasing in electricity demand, it is important to estimate the future potential of hydropower. It would then be possible to plan development through mix of energy and implement measures to control the development of the electricity market by the use of sustainable small hydropower projects. In the present paper attempt has been made to review the different types of model developed to evaluate the cost of the small hydropower projects. A review on the different types of correlations developed by earlier investigators has also been presented. The present review attempts to cover the benefits such as clean development mechanism (CDM), internal rate of return (IRR) for financial viability of such projects. A review on the different types of optimization techniques is also been presented to minimize the cost of the installation of SHP projects. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.