Despite the long history of hydropower technology and rising number of system harvesting energy from alternative sources, the constant research within hydro power sector becoming increasingly important as the power from water was and still is the leading alternative source of green energy generation, capitalized not necessarily within micro-urban structures only. The advantages of hydro systems involve their relatively low acquisition cost against durability, the possibility of gaining energy independence, relatively high flexibility and adaptability for spatial conditions and energy demands of the end users. Nowadays micro hydro systems could capitalize head range starting at 100cm and the efficiency of hydro systems in general ranges between 65-75% in micro and small applications climbing up to 96% in macro designs. It is mostly due to flexibility in applications, adaptability in combinations with other renewable energy systems and the ability to generate clean, stable, thus reliable energy that makes technical development the most vibrant and noticeable in the micro sphere.
Currently Taiwan and Slovakia import over 90% of energy consumables annually. High energy import rates make both countries viably engaged in research on renewable resources, also green planning policy has been proposed. Population is concentrated in the major cities which are facing energy deficiency issues. The unregulated development of micro-urban areas is underestimated in both cases so are the energy issues bound with them. Centralized energy sources require long distance wires to support remote areas. The proposed urban idea consists of energy resource decentralization by detailed focus on micro-urban development through the combination of accurate hydro distribution system for direct energy production in a place of consumption as a part of the autarchic micro-urban grids arranged in efficiency electric power grid circles calculated by loses in wiring. This urban energy model binds micro-urban structures in one solid network and at the same time creates local smart energy communities built up on each individual dwelling unit that can produce energy for itself from renewable resources locally available and support the local micro-urban public grid or even support nearest city public grid. Hydro energy is so far the most common, stable and efficient renewable resource in use. Water turbines efficiency has gone up to 96%. Proposed new multi-purpose small hydro type is one of the preliminary small scale systems that could be precisely tailored to micro-urban demands. It could stand by for direct use if needed and also use various types of working mediums (e.g. compressed gas, steam, water).
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