Pico hydro – Reducing technical risks for rural electrification

Williams, Arthur; Simpson, R. G.

doi:10.1016/j.renene.2008.12.011

Cited by 102 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Furthermore, a World Bank study in 2006 showed that pico-hydropower is the most competitive offgrid power technology on a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) basis ($/kWh), as shown in Fig. 1 [3,4]. In Rwanda for example, the national utility retail price for electricity in 2009 was $0.24/kWh [5], yet pico-hydro is estimated to cost less than $0.20/kWh.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental investigation of design parameters for pico-hydro Turgo turbines using a response surface methodology

et al. 2016

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a b s t r a c tMillions of off-grid homes in remote areas around the world have access to pico-hydro (5 kW or less) resources that are undeveloped due to prohibitive installed costs ($/kW). The Turgo turbine, a hydroelectric impulse turbine generally suited for medium to high head applications, has gained renewed attention in research due to its potential applicability to such sites. Nevertheless, published literature about the Turgo turbine is limited and indicates that current theory and experimental knowledge do not adequately explain the effects of certain design parameters, such as nozzle diameter, jet inlet angle, number of blades, and blade speed on the turbine's efficiency. In this study, these parameters are used in a three-level (3 4 ) central composite response surface experiment. A low-cost Turgo turbine is built and tested from readily available materials and a second order regression model is developed to predict its efficiency as a function of each parameter above and their interactions. The effects of blade orientation angle and jet impact location on efficiency are also investigated and experimentally found to be of relatively little significance to the turbine. The purpose of this study is to establish empirical design guidelines that enable small hydroelectric manufacturers and individuals to design low-cost efficient Turgo Turbines that can be optimized to a specific pico-hydro site. The results are also expressed in dimensionless parameters to allow for potential scaling to larger systems and manufacturers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental investigation of design parameters for pico-hydro Turgo turbines using a response surface methodology

et al. 2016

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“…Hoque N. and Kumar S. analyzed the composition, layout and effectiveness of home solar systems for proving electric energy for residents living in remote areas in Bangladesh [27]. Williams A. and Simpson R. explored the technical requirements, successful experiences and influencing factors of electricity provision for British residents in remote areas using small hydropower [28]. Saheb-Koussa D. et al investigated the technological economy of a wind-photovoltaic-diesel hybrid power system by which the rural residents can access electricity in Algeria, and the optimal composition of a wind-solar-oil hybrid power system was also studied [29].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significant Factors Influencing Rural Residents’ Well-Being with Regard to Electricity Consumption: An Empirical Analysis in China

Guo

Zhao

et al. 2016

Sustainability

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Abstract:The electric universal service policy, which has been implemented for many years in China, aims to meet the basic electricity demands of rural residents. Electricity consumption can facilitate the daily life of rural residents, such as lighting and cooking, which are necessary to their well-being. In practice, the well-being of rural residents due to electricity consumption is influenced by many factors. Therefore, to improve the well-being of rural residents, it is quite necessary to identify and optimize the significant factors that make the electric universal service policy play its prescribed role as well as possible. In this paper, the significant factors influencing rural residents' well-being obtained from electricity consumption were identified and discussed by employing the Ordered Probit model. The results indicate that: (1) there are six significant factors, of which 'educational level', 'health condition', 'each person income of a family per month', and 'service time of household appliances' play positive roles in rural residents' well-being, while 'average power interruption times' and 'monthly electric charges' have negative impacts; (2) for significant factors with positive roles, 'educational level' and 'health condition' show larger marginal effects on rural residents' well-being; and (3) for significant factors with negative impacts, 'average power interruption times' has the greatest marginal effect. Finally, policy implications are proposed for improving rural residents' well-being, which can also contribute to the effective implementation of the electric universal service policy in China.

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“…The energy source and distribution options implemented in each project depend on the available resources and the structure of the community. In general, when water resource is sufficient, PA always considers the microhydro power as the first option , since these systems are usually the lowest cost option for off-grid rural electrification (Coello et al, 2006;Kaygusuz, 2011;REN21, 2008;Williams and Simpson, 2009), are reliable for off-grid systems (van Els et al, 2012), and the energy is continuously available (Drinkwaard et al, 2010), . If water resource is not available, photovoltaic (PV) or wind systems are used, depending on resource availability, as their suitable to provide decentralized electrical service to rural households (Bugaje, 2006;Jacobson, 2007;Hiremath, 2009;Kandpal, 2010a, 2010b;Ferrer-Martí et al, 2012;Valer et al, 2014).…”

Section: Description Of the Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing management models for off-grid renewable energy electrification projects using the Human Development approach: Case study in Peru

Lillo

Ferrer‐Martí

Aristizábal

et al. 2015

Energy for Sustainable Development

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Electrification systems based on renewable energy have proven to be suitable for providing electricity autonomously to rural communities and thus reducing poverty. When implementing these systems, a management model is usually designed to maximise technical and financial sustainability. To improve the design and performance of systems, different evaluations of management models have been made that usually centre on products and final utilities. However, this excessively utilitarian vision of development restricts an analysis of the impact that these projects may have on people's lives. To overcome these limitations, we have used the Human Development approach to evaluate the management model of five electrification projects that use different technologies in Cajamarca (Peru). With this approach, the base of information is enhanced, which enables a broader assessment of various key dimensions of development that should be considered in the management model to improve the impact of such projects. The results show the weaknesses of the design and implementation process of the management model. Several ideas are proposed to avoid these weaknesses and to maximise the chance of success.

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Pico hydro – Reducing technical risks for rural electrification

Cited by 102 publications

References 6 publications

An experimental investigation of design parameters for pico-hydro Turgo turbines using a response surface methodology

An experimental investigation of design parameters for pico-hydro Turgo turbines using a response surface methodology

Significant Factors Influencing Rural Residents’ Well-Being with Regard to Electricity Consumption: An Empirical Analysis in China

Assessing management models for off-grid renewable energy electrification projects using the Human Development approach: Case study in Peru

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