Building a hydroelectric energy plant is a complex scheme that requires teams of specialists to handle the many aspects of the project—from conception and planning to implementation.
Speak with one of our high voltage electrical engineering Hydroelectric Specialists today.
Powersystems multidisciplinary team provide specialised electrical engineering, management, and technical skills to optimise electrical design and build for hydroelectric projects.
This means that Powersystems use in-house project designers, electrical project managers, electrical project engineers and specialist installation engineering teams to manage projects from start to finish.
46 years hard earned knowledge in the design and installation of high voltage electrical infrastructure ensures that your project starts on an accurate and realistic foundation – the prerequisite for a successful project.
This experience has placed Powersystems in a position ideally suited to carryout hydroelectric electrical balance of plant contracts.
Hydroelectric power systems are designed to match the local flow and head characteristics (head is the change in water levels between the hydro intake and the hydro discharge point, the higher the head the more power) and are embedded into the surrounding environment, which means that every hydropower system will have unique design and operational characteristic to make it work on a particular site.
The civil and electrical works are referred to as the Balance of Plant (BOP). The civil and electrical works are designed and installed by high voltage specialist contractors like Powersystems.
Powersystems engineers are highly experienced in the design, specification, installation and commissioning of hydroelectric energy substations, switchgear, transformers, cable infrastructure, earthing systems and SCADA cabling, enabling the complete installation to be carried out.
Hydroelectric projects completed include 500 kW ‘Run of the river’ schemes and multiple turbine dam storage schemes. In both types of projects Powersystems have completed the full electrical installation package for the sites including:
Sustainability begins with project design and planning and any hydropower developer should consider community concerns and environmental needs from the outset. As with any energy or river-based infrastructure, a hydropower project should be designed from day one to deliver net positive benefits to merit their construction and operation.
The Hydropower Sustainability Guidelines on Good International Industry Practice (HGIIP) form the normative document on how sustainability practice should be defined and measured in the hydropower sector. The guidelines offer the most detailed descriptions of international good practice for sustainability in the hydropower industry and are intended to be used in a variety of different settings, either individually or as a compendium. They have been developed to bring definition to the processes and outcomes that constitute good international industry practice for topics relevant to preparing, implementing, and operating hydropower projects.
The Hydropower Sustainability Guidelines provide definitions of good practice in accordance with six criteria: covering project assessment, management, stakeholder engagement, stakeholder support, conformance/ compliance, and outcomes.
The guidelines expand on what is expected by statements on these criteria in two complementary assessment tools: the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) and the Hydropower Sustainability Environmental, Social and Governance Gap Analysis Tool (HESG).
When delivered responsibly, hydropower offers clean, affordable and reliable electricity, while meeting our basic needs for water, irrigation, flood and drought control. As the world’s largest producer of renewable energy, hydropower ensures global decarbonisation goals remain within reach, while complementing variable renewables through its flexibility and storage
As the world strives towards ambitious net zero emissions targets, the 2022 Hydropower Status Report is a stark wake-up call to governments around the world that we are falling short of the progress that is needed.
But there are reasons to be positive. The Glasgow Climate Pact signed by all 197 parties at the closure of the United Change climate change conference, COP26, signified the first global agreement to phase down coal. The conversation must now address how we will fill the hole left by coal.
The 2022 Hydropower Status Report found that 26 GW of new capacity was put into operation during 2021. This falls well short of the 45 GW that the International Energy Agency (IEA) says is required to meet net zero goals by 2050 and keep global temperature rises to 1.5°C. To keep temperature rises to 2°C would require 30 GW annually.
Fortunately, we do not need to look very far, as the renewable technology that we need to achieve net zero already exists. With the flexibility, security and grid services provided by sustainable hydropower, we can deploy wind and solar energy at scale and deliver reliable energy systems for future generations.
We are moving in the right direction, but the pace needs to be stepped up. The last five years have seen an annual average of 22 GW of new hydropower capacity, which is perilously short of the 45 GW per year that is needed if we are to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5°C and reach net zero emissions by 2050.
For hydropower to play its role in the clean energy transition it is vital that it is developed sustainably. In 2021, leading hydropower companies and international organisations declared their support for a new sustainability certification scheme for hydropower – the Hydropower Sustainability Standard. At the heart of the Declaration is a recognition that “sustainable hydropower is a clean, green, modern and affordable solution to climate change”. It says that “going forward, the only acceptable hydropower is sustainable hydropower”.
Hydroelectric energy, also called hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity, is one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity.
Water flow is used to spin a turbine, which is connected to an electrical generator, the electricity is then fed into the National Grid.
Most hydroelectric power plants have a reservoir of water, a gate or valve to control how much water flows out of the reservoir, and an outlet or place where the water ends up after flowing downward. Water gains potential energy just before it spills over the top of a dam or flows down a hill. The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as water flows downhill. The water can be used to turn the blades of a turbine to generate electricity, which is distributed to the power plant’s customers.
There are four main types of hydroelectricity plants: run-of-river, storage, pumped storage and offshore hydropower.
Hydropower has been the forgotten giant of low-carbon electricity. However, it is the backbone of low-carbon electricity generation, providing almost half of it worldwide today.
Hydropower’s contribution is 55% higher than nuclear’s and larger than that of all other renewables combined, including wind, solar PV, bioenergy and geothermal. In 2020, hydropower supplied one sixth of global electricity generation, the third-largest source after coal and natural gas. Over the last 20 years, hydropower’s total capacity rose 70% globally, but its share of total generation stayed stable due to the growth of wind, solar PV, coal and natural gas.
~ Governments around the world are falling short of the progress that is needed and need to accelerate the development of new hydropower capacity or risk missing global net zero targets. ~
We can supercharge the progress firstly by accelerating the development of pumped storage hydropower around the world.
Secondly, we need to look towards the immense untapped hydropower potential that exists in many regions of the world
Finally, we need to make the most of our existing hydropower fleet by modernising it, as well as integrating hydropower facilities into non-power water infrastructure wherever suitable.
The 2022 Hydropower Status Report found that 26 GW of new capacity was put into operation during 2021. This falls well short of the 45 GW that the International Energy Agency (IEA) says is required to meet net zero goals by 2050 and keep global temperature rises to 1.5°C. To keep temperature rises to 2°C would require 30 GW annually.
The world has set ambitious new targets to transition towards clean energy and achieve net zero goals. However, a huge increase in energy storage capabilities will be needed to realise these ambitions, in order to strengthen grids as wind and solar power is introduced; this hole can only be filled by sustainable hydropower.
However, due to hydropower’s long lead-in times, projects can take several years to complete. As such, unless action is taken now to invest in new capacity and modernise the existing hydropower fleet, reaching net zero by 2050 may be out of reach.
RENEWABLE ENERGY HIGH VOLTAGE SPECIALISTS
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