Hydro Power: The Potential Within the UK

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Hydro Power The Potential Within the UK

• By Calvin Laing

HP
February 24th 2005
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Hydro Background

• Currently the largest electricity generating
  renewable 2.
• Long life time.
• Large capital costs.
• Potential large energy pay back.

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Types of Hydro Power

• Large hydro gt 5MW.
• 95.
• Dams/reservoir storage.
• Important to national energy demand.
• Operated by major electricity utilities.
• Pumped storage.

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Types of Hydro Power

• Small hydro lt 5MW.
• 5.
• Private developers/small companies.
• Can make use of current weirs, natural drops.
• Run-of-river.
• Micro hydro not connected to grid.

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Current Capacity

• 2003
• Electricity generation 3228 GWh, 11.6 PJ
• Declared net capacity 1467.5 GWh, 5.3 PJ
• Lower bound estimate 3.8 PJ

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Recent Trends.
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Recent Trends- Small Hydro.
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Increasing the Capacity

• Technology is advanced.
• UK based expertise.
• Plenty of opportunity for small hydro.
• Large hydro limited by
• Physical sites.
• Economic sites.
• Environmental implications.

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Potential Capacity

• Most estimates predict about twice the current
  capacity.
• Large hydro up to 1GW resource in Scotland.
• 10 increase in current large hydro from
  upgrades.
• Small hydro 40- 110 MW economically attractive.
  Further 300- 550 MW after this.

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Projected Trends- Small Hydro.
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Projected Trends- Large Hydro.
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Another Possibility?

• No shortage of hydro resources world wide.
• Build hydro power abroad- import energy/put
  profits into other renewables.