New frontiers renewable energy: mini hydro

If they are almost archived projects for the construction of large power plants can rely on smaller craft skills throughout the area for the manufacture of machines designed ad hoc to specific sites. The main frontier of expansion are the jumps of water (three meters), aqueducts and irrigation channels: these sources of energy distributed on the territory. "At the same installed capacity and lower surfaces, the mini-hydro plants offer a higher return in energy production with 4500 hours of operation per year on average, higher wind power and solar power." According to the latest data released by Terna, 1270 are structures that are capable of generating up to one megawatt. The small hydropower produces more than 46 TWh of electricity per year in the 27 countries belonging to the EU, and is estimated to reach 54.7 TWh by 2020. Today, the only small hydropower is enough to power more than 13 million households in Europe.

Helps prevent each year 29 million tons of CO 2, which translates into a cost of CO 2 avoided for about 766 million euro per year.

And 'because it reveals the central database HYDI.

It 'made by ESHA within the European project SHP Stream Map, which contains data on energy market and policy on hydropower sector in the EU-27. The database is freely accessible to the public.

Small hydropower plants also use local energy sources, allowing you to increase the security of energy supply and to reduce transport distances of energy, resulting in lower transmission losses.

This decentralization encourages the development of local communities, generating sources of income and creating jobs in the area.

Additional growth opportunities for the local economy, we have derived from the interventions of strengthening and rebuilding of thousands of abandoned sites throughout Europe: this will not only increase the production of electricity, but also to improve the environmental conditions of the sites.

Despite these obvious advantages and opportunities, the curators of the database showed that the SHP sector is still struggling in its development, "procedures for granting licenses for the use of waters expensive, complicated and non-transparent application of non-harmonized Water Framework Directive and the local opposition remain the biggest obstacles for the industry, "the statement presentation of the database.

Consider the aqueducts:

The management company of the aqueducts, they take out the money to provide electricity and services in order to enter the water in the pipes. An activity that, according to Federutility, equivalent to 10% of the manufacturing costs incurred for each cubic meter of water.

Costs, the latter, which on average amounted to 0.87 euro on Italy.

According to the committee set up by the Ministry of Environment, the amount of water introduced into the water system in 2008, referring to 36.5 million inhabitants, it is 5.308 billion m3.

This figure parameterised on the current 60 million inhabitants, as indicated by the same Co.Vi.Ri, implies a value of 8.72 billion m3

The estimated losses totaled about 2.61 billion m3 this mean about 226 million Euros thrown away every year.

Money wasted.

Intervene on the losses and recover electrical energy is possible.

We have already described how the proper management of the plants, saving and energy recovery, represents a necessary way for the country to be pursued rather than to increase the production of energy.

 

25/11/2011

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Translated via software

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Source:

Italian version of CercaGeometra.it