(/* Pros and Cons of Micro Hydro Micro-hydro, The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, <http://www.ashdenawards.org/micro-hydro>.Micro Hydro Power--Pros and Cons, Alternative Energy News (October 26, 2006) <http://www.alternative-energy-news)
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=== Pros and Cons of Micro Hydro <ref>Micro-hydro, '''The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy''', &lt;http://www.ashdenawards.org/micro-hydro&gt;.</ref><ref>Micro Hydro Power--Pros and Cons, '''Alternative Energy News''' (October 26, 2006) &lt;http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/micro-hydro-power-pros-and-cons/&gt;.</ref><ref>Small Hydro Power: Technology and Current Status, '''Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews''' Vol 6, Issue 6 (December 2002): 537-556</ref> ===
=== Pros and Cons of Micro Hydro <ref>Micro-hydro, ''The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy'', &lt;http://www.ashdenawards.org/micro-hydro&gt;.</ref><ref>Micro Hydro Power--Pros and Cons, ''Alternative Energy News'' (October 26, 2006) &lt;http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/micro-hydro-power-pros-and-cons/&gt;.</ref><ref>Small Hydro Power: Technology and Current Status, ''Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews'' Vol 6, Issue 6 (December 2002): 537-556</ref> ===


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=== Feasibility Study  ===
=== Feasibility Study  ===

Revision as of 19:02, 29 July 2010

Template:Projectinprogress


Team Micro Hydro

Project Description

Objective

We are a small team of Humboldt State University undergraduate students working on a project to investigate the feasibility of constructing, installing, utilizing and maintaining a run-of-the-river micro hydro system to provide electricity for a rural community near San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. The feasibility tests will include studies on potential power available from several rivers and a survey of the available building materials and operation costs. If the feasibility study results recommend the implementation, design, and construction of this project, it may be completed by another party in the near future. Such action would be coordinated with the community that would benefit from the micro hydro system.

BlackBoxPicture.png

Background

Hydro power is already a common method of energy generation in Mexico. Mexico's total installed power capacity from the year 2000, which utilized 20% of the Mexican Energy Supply (6368 PJ) was 36,697 MW. The capacity profile was: fuel oil 38.9%; hydro electricity 26.2%; natural gas 15.7%; coal 7.1%; dual 5.7%; nuclear 3.7%; geothermal 2.3%; 0.3% diesel. Hydro power provides 26.2% of Mexico's electricity, but mainly from large dams that greatly disrupt the ecosystems surrounding the rivers.[1] The aim of this project is to investigate run-of-the-river hydro power systems which generate less electricity but have a more benign environmental impact. The autonomous communities and the mountainous terrain of Chiapas appear to indicate positive circumstances for micro hydro power. The drop in elevation may provide the amount of head necessary for sufficient energy generation from a micro hydro power system.

Although Chiapas remains one of Mexico´s pooerst states, it contributes a great portion of the country´s electricity. Unfortunately, only 8% of the electricity users account for 50% of the state´s electricity use because the Federal Electricity Commision (EFC) levies tariffs on communities that cannot afford to pay for electric power.[2] For this reason, many local Zapatista and autonomous communities resist paying for electricity and have learned how to maintain their own repairs on power lines. [3] Such communities may therefore benefit from the increased independence provided by micro hydro power for their lighting needs, refrigeration of medicines and maintenance of communication systems.

Local Energy Alternatives

In Chiapas several alternative power generation methods are available. The most common among the indigenous community is burning biomass or wood gathered in the surrounding areas. (CITATION??) This alternative is a shrinking resource, it is becoming more and more difficult to find dry wood due to deforestation. This method is a form of incomplete combustion and releases black carbon into the atmosphere. Black carbon is reputed to be worse for climate change than carbon dioxide.

Another form of power generation in Chiapas is large scale hydro power. Cañon de Sumidero is a popular tourist attraction and at the end of the tour a large dam and hydro power plant are visible. This dam is called Chicoasen and it is the 5th largest in the world. Large scale hydro power has several major drawbacks. According to New Scientist, [4] hydro power dams produce significant amounts of methane and carbon dioxide. They also destroy ecosystems and disrupt the migration of fish populations and cause flooding.

Micro Hydro in Latin America

  • Chel, Quiché, Guatemala [5]
    The rural community of Chel is located in the northern region of Quiché, Guatemala. This area was greatly affected by the Civil War and left without access to water, energy or transportation. The people of Chel put their trust in Fundación Solar (a Guatemalan non-profit) to organize the planning and installation of the micro hydro system. This represented a big step towards healing the fear of the outside world instilled by the massacre of Chel during the war. The people worked together to build a road into the community and carried in the necessary supplies on foot from town. The micro hydro power system was built in 2000 and provides 110 kilowatts of power for 440 homes. The community was very enthusiastic about the quality of life improvements created by having electricity. These improvements included purchasing a solar powered satellite telephone that generated an income for Chel because it saved surrounding communities a 10-hour journey to the nearest phone. The success of the phone then helped them afford a fax machine, computer and truck for transporting supplies.  The introduction of micro hydro power empowered the town of Chel to plan for their future instead of being fearful of outside life.
  • La Pita del Carmen, Nicaragua[6]
    The community of La Pita del Carmen is located in northern Nicaragua and has a population of about 400. Northern Nicaragua is home to many relocated combatants of the 1980-90 Civil War whose communities lack electricity and are located far from any federal power infrastructure. La Pita del Carmen is located 70 kilometers from the nearest power source, thus a micro hydro system provided them with a cost effective way to bring electricity to the town and put them on track for future economic growth. The Association of Renewable Development Workers (ATDER) assisted with the coordination of the system that brought electricity to homes, farmers, businesses and the local school for the first time. The micro hydro system on the La Pita River began operating in 2000 and provides the people with 120,000 kWh per year. It is one of four micro hydro installations planned by ATDER in Northern Nicaragua in the next few years. The community also benefitted from overcoming differences forged by the Civil War in order to work together towards a mutually beneficial goal.
  • Camata, Department of La Paz, Bolivia [7]
    Camata is a small subsistence community of 70 households whose people live mainly by producing coffee, chile and corn. The hydro installation provides 27 kilowatts of power that provides electricity to homes, a police station and a school as well as a new agro-processing plant. The agro-processing plant is the perfect complement to the micro hydro installment for Camata because the plant uses the same power during the day that households use in the evening. The plant helps both save and generate income for Camata: it provides the locals with a way to process their crops of coffee, corn, and chile instead of selling their crops to someone else for processing. Members of surrounding communities can sell their products to the plant instead of taking them to town. The community formed the Committee for Electrification after the suggestion that their location was ideal for micro hydro by the Hydraulic and Hydrology Institute. The Committee for Electrification was responsible for the planning and construction of the hydro system and agro-plant and now oversees power regulations and system operations.

Cultural Considerations

Advice from a Local Water Engineer

During our visit to the technical department of ConAgua we spoke to a water engineer. He relayed some information that his organization and other groups working on feasibility studies discovered about micro hydro feasibility in San Cristobal de las Casas. It appears that much like the City of México, D.F., San Cristóbal de las Casas was previously located on top of a lake. As the population grew a solution had to be found to remove the water from the city. A tunnel was constructed and the water was removed from the city and transported to barren land. The water from the lake that was San Cristóbal suddenly made this land viable for cultivation and a farming community grew there. Previous hydrological and micro hydro studies in San Cristóbal concluded that micro hydro systems would only be efficient during the rainy months of the year in the mouyntains far outside the city. In order to reach an ideal cost-benefit ratio, the system must be closer to the center of the city. This presents a problem in disrupting the irrigation of farming communities that were created by the tunnel. Although we are researching run of the river systems that do not impede water flows to these communities, micro hydro systems are therefore seen as a threat to their livelihood. Near the center of San Cristóbal there exists much resistance to micro hydro and heightened tension whenever the topic is broached.

Criteria

A little bit of background on this would be nice.

Criteria Description Weight
Aesthetics Meets cultural needs. 6
Community Involvement Community has interest and need. 5
Cost Efficiency Cost/kW, availability of local materials, and low maintenance. 9.5
Educational System educates community about sustainable energy. 6
Environmental Effect Diverts an appropriate amount of water and does not harm aquatic life. 7
Location of Site Close to community with access to a continuously reliable water source. 9.5

System Design

What is Micro Hydro?

Most simply, micro hydro systems utilize the kinetic energy of falling water to turn a turbine that converts kinetic energy into mechanical energy. The mechanical energy can either be used to turn water wheels or a generator can convert the mechanical energy into electrical DC power. Micro hydro can be used to power remote communities or provide a renewable energy resource to existing electric grids.[8]

Here is a short video about the basics of how micro hydro electric power works. This is just one example of a micro hydro system. There are many variations and designs they can take on depending on the conditions of your site.

Error in widget YouTube: Unable to load template 'wiki:YouTube'

Components of Micro Hydro System

A micro hydro system consists of a diversion of part of the water flow from a river or intake, which passes through a debris filter or settling basin, and then flows from a forebay tank down a hill in a pipe or penstock, where it accelerates through the force of gravity and gains head. The pressure of this stream of water turns a turbine and is then released back to the river flow through a tailrace. The turbine´s mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy through a generator, whose current must be maintained by a controller and can then be transferred through transmission lines to provide electricity for a consumer or business.[9]

Diagram micro.gif


  • Here is a short video of a Micro Hydro system beginning with the intake and ending at the waterwheel. The first image is of a submerged intake used for a reaction turbine.
Error in widget YouTube: Unable to load template 'wiki:YouTube'

Intake

The most common intake method that we encountered in Chiapas was a weir, which is a small over-flow dam that raises the level of the river so that part of it can be re-directed into a channel. This method is not the most environmentally-friendly because it disrupts fish migration and other biological processes and must be constructed at greater expense. However, if one is already in place (as we found at our two most-feasible sites in San Cristóbal), the most logical option is to utilize the pre-exisiting infrastructure.

  • Jerry Ostermeier details nine different types of intake methods for micro hydro that we thought would have been more feasible in some of the smaller streams we studied. [10]

Settling Basin

Water drawn from a river to a turbine usually carries suspended small particles that are hard and abrasive, such as sand or sediment. The settling basin, which connects the intake channel and the penstock, is used to settle the suspended particles. This allows the diverted water to pass through the penstock to the turbine without carrying particles that could clog the penstock or harm the turbine parts.[11]

Forebay Tank

"The forebay tank forms the connection between the channel and the penstock. The main purpose is to allow the last particles to settle down before the water enters the penstock. Depending on its size it can also serve as a reservoir to store water. A sluice will make it possible to close the entrance to the penstock. In front of the penstock a trashrack is normally installed to prevent large particles entering the penstock."[12]

Penstock

The penstock pipe transfers water to the turbine and must be designed specifically to the site's river flow and head pressure conditions for optimal performance. Water running through a pipe encounters friction that slows its flow rate, essentially reducing the amount of head.

For our estimates of head loss in the penstock of our hypothetical systems, we referred to the Pressure Friciton Head Loss table detailed on page 27 and the Friction Head Loss of Pipe Fittings table on page 28 of Nautilus Water Turbine Inc.´s Water Turbine Appendix

Turbine Types

  • Impulse turbines are
  • Reaction turbines are
  • Appropedia Microhydro
    • Provides a rating of the effectiveness of impulse turbine types based on the amount of flow and the amount of head of a given site.
Turbine Type Flow Head
W Lowest Highest >10ft
W Intermediate Intermediate >4ft
W Highest Lowest <4ft

Tail Race

The tail race must be designed such that the flow of water returning to the river does not cause too much erosion. In designing a hypothetical tail race, we referred to the list of velocities of water that will reduce the amount of erosion based on the type of soil detailed on Page 35 and the table of Water Flow Through Various Nozzle Diameters on Page 36 of Nautilus Water Turbine Inc.´s Water Turbine Appendix

Electrical Components[2]

For the AC systems that we postulated, mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy[13] by a generator, whose load is regulated by a controller that monitors the voltage of the system. If there is excess frequency beyond the grid´s capacity, the load is dumped, frequently to a water or air heater. The controller also protects the system if the grid fails. [14]Kilowatt-hour meters of electricity and a breaker panel would also be required, although the systems we looked at already had an electrical grid into which we would hope to directly feed our system. For more information on that possibility and process, see Permits (LINK???) 

Transmission Lines

The systems we designed were AC Direct system, which utilize wires to carry the electricity to the community. An ideal system is placed near a community so the electricity loss is minimized in transfer. In calculating electricity loss from the proposed power house to the community, we referred to the Wire Size versus Voltage Drop table on page 43 of Nautilus Water Turbine Inc.´s Water Turbine Appendix. Of note is that the system may also be designed with a battery to store energy for use during peak periods of electrical need, at an increased cost.[15]

System Types

AC Direct

AC integrated systems bring the generated electricity directly to a user. Available power is limited by the potential of the stream, so if the site has enough flow and head this system can be designed to the highest load requirement of the community.

ACDirect.jpg


Pros and Cons of Micro Hydro [16][17][18]

Pros Cons
  • Water is a concentrated and continuous source of energy
  • Energy availability is fairly predictable
  • Very little maintenance is required
  • There is very little environmental impact
  • Greenhouse gases are reduced by reduction of fossil fuel usage
  • Good sites close to communities are hard to find
  • There is not much room for expanding the power generated
  • Variations in seasonal river flow can limit power availability
  • Other uses for the water, such as irrigation, can take away from the desirability of the system
  • Lack of government support and subsidies
  • The additional work and maintenance may be undesirable if the electricity recipients are already grid tied.


Feasibility Study

The feasibility of a micro hydro system is firstly dependent upon the flow and head available at the site, and secondly, the electricity load and proximity of the system to the community. The feasibility study for a a micro hydro system aims to answer the following questions for a given site[19]:

    • How much head is available?
    • What are the maximum and minimum flow rates?
    • How long does the penstock have to be?
    • How much power can be generated at the flow rates?
    • Initial and annual costs?
    • Potential environmental effects of installing micro hydro?

Feasbility Studies for our two specific sites.

Data Collection Methods

Measuring Flow Rate

There are varying methods on how to measure flow rate. The method we used was to measure a cross section of a river and to time a floating object down the cross-section. We averaged our times and multiplied the average time by estimated cross-sectional area to get a flow in cubic feet per minute. We then converted this to gallons per minute. There is at least one other method for determining flow rate which involves constructing a temporary dam, then placing a tube out of the dam which diverts the water into a bucket of a specific capacity. By timing the rate at which the bucket fills and then multiplying the average time to fill the bucket by the volume capacity of the bucket to get the flow rate.[20]

    • Appendix 3 has a Load Evaluation Form to determine the amount of power output needed from your system to meet the needs of the community.
  • The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence by Daniel D. Chiras
    • Describes an effective way to measure head using a carpenter´s level and calibrated pole.
  • Appropedia - How to Measure Stream Flow Rate
    • Appropedia page with concise and simple descriptions of several ways to measure stream flow rate.

Power Output Equation

  • Appropedia Microhydro provides the equation to determine the energy output of a micro hydro system based on Flow Rate, Head, and Gravity of the water source.

Maintenance of System

  • http://canmetenergy-canmetenergie.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/fichier.php/codectec/En/ISBN066239914/Intro_MicroHydro_ENG.pdf
    • Micro hydro systems require regular maintenance although the cost of this maintenance is generally low. These tasks can generally be completed by one part time operator. Filters must be cleaned on a regular basis but the number of cleanings can be reduced. By installing the filter at an angle the filter will be mostly self cleaning. Penstocks must be unclogged after a certain period of time but the better the filter the less often the penstock will become clogged. Machinery within the powerhouse must be greased to continue running at optimal performance. If batteries are being used to store energy they must be equalized on a regular basis. Minimum wage in Chiapas is 49 pesos/hour [3] for an estimated 3 hours of maintenance a month maintenance ends up costing 1,764 pesos annually.

Equation

The amount of energy released by lowering an object of mass by a height in a gravitational field is[21]:

where is the acceleration due to gravity.

Converting these units, a common field equation to measure the maximum power available in a moving body of water is:


Where:

  • Pmax=Maximum Power Available (kW)
  • Qmax=Flow (Volume/time)
  • Hmax=Head (Vertical drop in ft)
  • emax=Efficiency of the turbine (use a value of 1 for max power available)
  • K=Unit conversion factor (see table below for some common values)
For Q measured in K is equal to
ft3/min 708 (ft4)/(min*kW)
ft3/sec (CFS) 11.8 (ft4)/(sec*kW)
l/sec 102 (l*ft)/(sec*kW)
gal/min (GPM) 5302 (gal*ft)/(min*kW)

To find the actual power you will get from that moving body of water, calculate Pnet with the following changes made.

Where:

  • Pnet=The net power extracted from the river, not including loss in delivery from power station to load (kW)
  • Qnet=Flow (Volume/time) - Only take a portion of the max flow (%take). For delicate streams this may be a small percentage of the total flow.
    • Qnet=Qmax*%take
  • Hnet=Head (Vertical drop in ft) - This is the actual head that you have available due to losses from friction. Calculate friction loss using tables based on the materials you use for diversion (e.g. PVC).
    • Determine equivalent length of pipe by adding actual length of pipe and equivalent lengths of fittings based on tables using pipe size.
    • Find Frictional Pressure Loss Ratio (FPL) coefficient in ftloss/ftpipe based upon flow rate and pipe size
    • calculate Hloss=equivalent length of pipe * FPL

Hnet=Hmax-Hloss

  • enet=Efficiency of the turbine - Always between 0 and 1, usually between .5 and .9 depending on the turbine type and flow rate. A value of 0.78 is a good guess for modern turbines in average conditions.
  • K=Unit conversion factor (see table above for some common values)

Note that these equations are static in time. You must run these equations for with a resolution high enough to cover periods of variation (e.g. monthly river data).

Conversion Factors

Cost

The cost of a system is dependent on the location, power needs, locally available materials or components, and type of system you build. According to Retscreen Canada 75% of costs are site specific. Small Hydro Project Analysis The typical range in cost is $1,200 to $6,000 per installed KW.

Materials

Information pending further investigation of local material availability and actual project design which can change quantities.

AC Direct Materials     Cost (MXN)
Intake Construction Materials  ?
6" PVC Pipe     81.50/m 
6" PVC Pipe Fittings 90 degrees  60/piece
6" PVC Pipe Fittings 45 degrees  49/piece
6" PVC Pipe Fittings Tee Branch  64/piece
Turbine/Generator  1,080
Dump Load Controller  1903.45  
Transmission Line Wire  ?
Powerhouse Construction Materials  ?
Total Equipment Cost
Permits  ?
Installations
Maintenance per year
Total Cost ?
Cost/Kw ?

Financing

Potential options for increasing the feasibility of a system include: grants, selling carbon credits based on greenhouse gases avoided by the micro hydro system, or selling the unused energy back to the local power company to receive income through feed-in tariffs.

Grants

[GEF Small Grants Program]
The Global Environment Facility-Small Grants Program has provided over 120,000 grants in 122 countries to " non-governmental and community-based organizations"
for projects that combat environmental problems and protect human rights.

[Terra Viva Grants]

Terra Viva is a "directory of international grant funding for agriculture, energy, environment, and natural resources in the developing world."

Carbon Credits

Selling carbon credits on the international market is a way to increase the feasibility of this system. For every megaton of CO2 not emitted by this clean energy form a carbon credit or OCO can be sold to a company generating these greenhouse gases. This market exists because of the emissions cap created by the Kyoto Protocol. Prices vary but 3Degrees [4] buys these credits at $15.00 (USA) per metric ton of CO2.

Feed-In Tariffs

Feed-in tariffs pay a rate for electricity fed back into the grid from a renewable energy technology such as solar, wind or hydro.  Feed-in tariffs both encourage investment in renewable energy technologies and supplement the grid with cleaner sources of power otherwise going unused by the owner of the system.[22]

  • (MOVE THIS) Small Hydro Power: Technology and Current Status. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Volume 6, Issue 6, December 2002, Pages 537-556 SmallHydroPower.pdf
    • Section 6 and 8 provide conditions for increasing cost-effectiveness of a project. Aside from ideal site conditions the cost per kW can be reduced if indigenous/local labor and expertise can be used, where there are high load requirements (ideally, industry during the day and domestic needs at night), income generating activities, and easily maintainable and replaceable system parts.


Permits and Grid Tie-In Feasibility

    • Permit of Construction for Work under 40.00 m2
      • Required Application
      • Copy of property payment for the year
      • Copy of owner´s identification
      • Copy of exact location and official updated number
      • Sketch of what will be constructed and a copy (architectural and with structural details, legal size or double letter size)
      • Copy of feasibility and use of site (in case of comerical use or if there is more than one occupant in the same property)
  • Ley Federal de Derechos en Materia Agua
    • Article 192 contains information on applicable fees for use of national water $2,745.00 (MXN)
    • Article 192 A contains information on applicable fees for use of land within 10 meters of national water $1,163.00 (MXN)

Environmental Considerations

Climate

  • Map of Chiapas climate
    • Indicates year-round rainfall in the humid jungles in the north of the state and abundant summer rainfall north and

east of San Cristobal.

Climas.gif


 
Source: http://mapserver.inegi.org.mx/geografia/espanol/estados/chis/climas.gif


Rainfall

The amount of rainfall in a region determines the seasonal water flow in a river. A more feasible location for siting a micro hydro system has a small annual range of flows (as opposed to an area with a wide range of slows between seasons).

  • Map of Annual Precipitation for the State of Chiapas
Isoyetas.gif


Source: http://mapserver.inegi.org.mx/geografia/espanol/estados/chis/precipit.cfm?c=444&e=07

  • Table of Precipitation for States in Mexico
Rainchart.JPG
  • Micro-Hydropower Systems: A Buyer's Guide by Natural Resources Canada. 16047612-Canada-Micro-Hydro-Guide.pdf
    • Section 2.1, page 9 of the book provides information on flow duration curves and how seasonal changes in flow will affect energy calculations.
Flooding
  • http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inundaci%C3%B3n_de_Tabasco_y_Chiapas_de_2007
    • Description of October 2007 flood that occurred as a result of above-average rainfall from tropical storm Noel. The Grijalva River separates Chiapas from the neighboring state of Tabasco and has several dams which generate the majority of Mexico´s electricity. The Peñitas Dam was overwhelmed by the high river level from rains falling in Chiapas and began to flood the deforested Tabascan plains. This destroyed the Tabascan capital of Villahermosa, which is surrounded by rivers. It sits below river level and is protected by a system of canals and dikes. A landslide also occurred in Chiapas in the town of Juan de Grijalva, destroying 100 homes.
    • This type of flooding caused by deforestation, faulty city planning and the construction of large-scale hydroelectric power also falls under the cultural considerations of micro hydro power in this region and illustrates an advantage of building small-scale hydroelectric power.

Climate Change and Green House Gas Reduction Incentives

Sites

River near Pueblo Molino de los Arcos

    

MolinoDeLosArcos.jpg

Date Visited: 12 July 2010
Flow rate calculated: 3015 GPM
Head:
30 feet
Length of Pipe:
110 feet
P max:
17 kW
P net:
540 Watts
GPS Coordinates: 
Feasibility: 
This community is within San Cristóbal they currently have a micro hydro system installation that is not in use. Federal power has been cheap enough to make the cost of repairs unjustifiable, but recently the community expressed an interest in repairing the system. Since the infastructure is already in place the feasibility study would be on the cost of replacing parts and getting the system running again.

Potential Plan: We are making contacts with engineering firms such as Canyon Hydro looking for quotes on repair prices.



Río de Alcanfores

    

Alcanfores.jpg


Date Visited: 17 June 2010
Flow rate calculated:
120 GPM
Head:
15 feet
Length of Pipe:
87 feet
P max: 670 Watts
P net:
220 Watts
GPS Coordinates:
N 16º44.730' W 092º38.028'
Feasibility:
This river is close to the neighborhood of Alcanfores, outside of San Cristóbal, the amount of power generated by this stream during the rainy season is sufficient to consider the site feasible for the construction of a pico-hydro system. This stream is of interest because the community of Alcanfores is near the site surveyed, and a Zapatista community seeking independence from the government lies approximately an hour further upstream.




Río Jataté en el Pueblo de Corralito

    

ElCorralito.jpg


Date Visited: 14 July 2010
Feasibility: This site lies a bit further from San Cristóbal on the way to Ocosingo and Palenque. Winding down out of the mountains, we could see that the vegetation grew more lush and the maps indicated that heading in this direction would be an ideal zone in terms of rainfall, topographic variety and community location. Corralito is a tiny farming community known for its small touristic attraction of a waterfall in the headwaters of Río Jataté, which goes on to power the Cascadas Agua Azul. It was a river of approximately 5 or 8 meters in width, narrowing to 1 or 2 meters at points, with a strong flow and what looked to be substantial depth. We did not take measurements because of its width and depth and lack of both time and proper introduction to the community. We did speak with a local agronomist, who said that the large power lines we saw were from the government and we observed a billboard near the center of the community reading that it was being supported by the PRI political party and the government was funding construction there. On the way back, Rachel was advised by a local combi driver to continue towards Ocosingo in search of small communities with power needs and river assets and given the names of a few such communities. We also passed many signs for other communities reading that they were in protest of paying high government taxes for electricity to power their lights, which may present other opportunities for investigation.

 Parque Ecología Las Canastas, San Cristóbal

    

LasCanastas.jpg


Date Visited: 21/23 July 2010
Flow rate calculated: 197,800 GPM
Head: 15 Feet
Length of Pipe: 80 feet
P max:
558 kW
P net: 220 Watts
GPS Coordinates: N 16º43.969' W 092º36.135'
Feasibility: This site is about 20 minutes outside of San Cristobal. A pen stock and dam have already been constructed on this site for irrigation purposes. A road brings you about 100 feet from the dam. The fact that much of the infrastructure necessary for a hydro set up makes this location very promising.

Potential Plan: For this river we were unimpressed by the available head but with such a strong flow we decided not to rule the location out. Instead of utilizing an impulse turbine we began researching submersible reaction turbines. A propeller turbine could be placed in the river for an impressive level of energy produced. The Ampair UW100 Water Turbine was selected as a potential turbine and generator. [23]

Parque Ecoturística Arcotete, San Cristóbal 

    

ElArcotete.jpg


Date Visited: 23 July 2010
Feasibility: This river is part of an ecological park outside of San Cristobal. Attempting to test the flow of the river proved unsuccessful. Matt took one step into the river and immediately began sinking rapidly into the mud. Tests were discontinued for safety reasons. In addition to difficult testing conditions there did not appear to be any communities nearby. For these reasons Arcotete was ruled out as a feasible location.


Río de Tzaconejá, Comunidad de Altamirano

Date Visited:
Flow rate calculated:
Head:
Length of Pipe:
P max:
P net:
Feasibility:


Río de Monte Líbano

Date Visited:
Flow rate calculated:
Head:
Length of Pipe:
P max:
P net:
Feasibility:


Conclusion

Feasibility Study Results

For this study Team Micro Hydro utilized RetScreen, free software provided by Canada to evaluate renewable energy projects internationally. We inputted our projects infrastructure costs, various estimated feed in tariffs based on CFE (Comision Federal de Electricidad) electricity prices, the going rate for carbon credits on the international market and projected annual maintenance fees. The following results are for the two sites we studied most intensively Las Canastas and Molino de Los Arcos. The three graphs for each are based on the potential feed in rates. The first tariff takes the going electricity rate for region 1 minus ten percent for administrative fees. The second is the tariff as if the community formed it's own power company and gave a thirty percent discount. The third is the region 1 tariff minus a fourty percent administrative fee.

Las Canastas

Molino de los Arcos

Conclusion

As we can see from the graphs the cost benefits ratio of this particular system at Las Canastas is never favorable. We advise against pursuing a micro hydro system at Las Canastas. At Molino de Los Arcos we have found a very promising cost benefit ratio estimate. We recommend further study on a system at this location. Hydrological data and rainfall data for the region have already been requested from ConAgua and should be available by September 2010. We suggest more intensive study of the year round flows and rainfall rates to find more exact potential power for each season.

References

  1. Islas, J., F. Manzini, and M. Martinez, "Cost-benefit analysis of energy scenarios for the Mexican power sector," Energy 28 (2002): 979-992.
  2. "Electrical Energy in Mexico and Chiapas: Rights, Resistances and Privatization," Maderas del Pueblo del Sureste, A.C. (July 2007): http://www.maderasdelpueblo.org.mx/pdf/DocENERGIA%20ELECTRICA%20MEXICO%20Y%20CHIAPAS.pdf
  3. Public denouncement of government tariff increases, Pueblos Unidos en Defensa de la Energia Eléctrica (23 November 2008):http://sipaz.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/denuncia-publica-pudee-23_11_08.jpg
  4. "Hydroelectric power's dirty secret revealed," New Scientist (February 24, 2005): http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046
  5. Hanei, Jeff. USAID. Micro-Hydro Energy for Post War Rehabilitation. [www.usaid.gov/our_work/economic.../guatemala_riverofpeace.pdf Micro-Hydro Energy for Post War Rehabilitation]
  6. Royce, Michael, "La Pita Micro Hydro: Bringing Power to the People," Hydro World Review March 2000: 32-33.
  7. GEF Small Grants Program. United Nations Development Program. Micro-Hydro Power for Agro-Processing in Rural Areas, Bolivia. Micro-Hydro Power for Agro-Processing in Rural Areas, Bolivia.
  8. Micro-Hydropower Systems: A Buyer's Guide, CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada: http://canmetenergy-canmetenergie.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/fichier/79276/buyersguidehydroeng.pdf
  9. Scott Davis, Micohydro: Clean Power from Water (2003).
  10. Jerry Ostermeier, "Microhydro Intake Design," Homepower Magazine 124 (April/May 2008): 68-73. &amp;amp;lt;http://homepower.com/view/?file=HP124_pg68_Ostermeier&amp;amp;gt;.
  11. Centre for Rural Technology (31 July 2005). Manual on Micro Hydro Development. Kathmandu, Nepal: Prepared for NGO Capacity Building for Poverty-reducing Sustainable Energy Solutions in South Asia Project. Manual on Micro Hydro Development
  12. Tamburrini, Mark, A Feasibility Study for a Microhydro Installation for the Strangford Lough Wildfowlers &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Coversation Association: A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of Science, Glasgow, UK: Energy Systems Research Unit Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Strathclyde (September 2004): 34 Tamburrini.pdf
  13. Scott Bennett, Encyclopedia of Energy (2007).
  14. Paul Cunningham & Ian Woofenden, "Microhydro Electricity Basics," Homepower Magazine <http://homepower.com/basics/hydro/#MicrohydroElectricSystemComponents>.
  15. Paul Cunningham & Ian Woofenden, "Microhydro Electricity Basics," Homepower Magazine <http://homepower.com/basics/hydro/#MicrohydroElectricSystemComponents>.
  16. Micro-hydro, The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, <http://www.ashdenawards.org/micro-hydro>.
  17. Micro Hydro Power--Pros and Cons, Alternative Energy News (October 26, 2006) <http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/micro-hydro-power-pros-and-cons/>.
  18. Small Hydro Power: Technology and Current Status, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews Vol 6, Issue 6 (December 2002): 537-556
  19. Natural Resources Canada,Micro-Hydropower Systems: A Buyer's Guide, Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada (2004). 16047612-Canada-Micro-Hydro-Guide.pdf Appendix B has a form to fill out based on the site's stream info and electrical needs
  20. Jim Norman,Micro Hydro Power Design Booklet, ABS Alaskan Inc. (uploaded to www.scribd.com 15 May 2010): Appendix 2 Micro Hydro Power Design Booklet by Jim Norman.
  21. Some high flow, low head situations can use hydropower systems such as a water wheel to convert just kinetic energy of the flowing water with very little change in the potential energy. In those cases, <math>P = \frac{1}{2}\,\rho\,\phi\, v^2</math> where <math>\, v</math> is the velocity of the water.
  22. Energy Matters - Australia. "Feed in tariff for grid connected solar power systems." 2009. [[1]]
  23. fckLRhttp://www.absak.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/33_89_90/products_id/3fckLR
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