Feasibility Study

1. Data Collection
- Hydrology Data
A minimum of one year daily flow data and mean of annual rainfall is required to make a preliminary
estimation or the flow of the river can be measured using current meter.
- Topographic Data
Contour information or aerial photographic maps with reasonable accuracy (1:1.000 or less) should be
obtained for determining levels and distances in estimating the length of penstock, transmission line and
possible project head, etc.
- Geological Data
A ground conditions, landslides, regional seismic activity and river sedimentation should be obtained to
assess the potential location and project layout.

2. Estimation of Potential Energy

The amount of energy generated by a hydropower depends on the head drop and flow rates available from the
river. For a rough estimation of potential energy:

P = 9.8 x Q x H x η
P = Capacity (KW)
Q = Debit (m3/s)
H = Head (m)
η = Efficiency of Equipments (Normally 80%)

3. Site Inspection
A site inspection should be carried out by engineers for familiarization of the environment and identification of
any major barriers to the implementation of the project. An evaluation of the following should be made while
visiting site:
- Confirmation flow of water.
- Confirmation topographic data.
- Existing infrastructure and condition, including operational considerations.
- Potential intake, waterway, forebay, penstock and powerhouse location.
- Potential transmission line.
- Potential access road routes and suitable construction and equipments installation.
- The social and environment impact and benefits on the local area.
- Land ownership and/or the prospect of land acquisition.

It is best not to leave the site before analyzing the results, because any mistakes will be easier to check on-site.

4. Hydropower Assessment
Since the flow and head data has been confirmed, the potential annual energy can be properly assessed. Turbine
and generator will need to be carefully selected and sized based upon the suitability of the flow and head range.
Optimization of the operating range of the turbine will need to be made, including the capacity factor. The
 capacity factor for most small hydropower would normally be around 70% in order to provide a satisfactory
return on investment.

5. Preliminary Design
Preliminary drawings of the plant and bill of quantities should be made before estimating the cost of the project.
Prominent aspect of the works can be categorized into:
- Civil works (intake and weir, waterway, forebay, penstock, powerhouse, tailrace channel, site access and
construction details).
- Generating equipments (turbine, generator and control system).
The electrical and mechanical components determine the physical arrangement of powerhouse, such as the
floor levels, roof clearance, building footprint, substructure arrangement, and pipework alignment.
- Network connection design to allow assessment of the power distribution.

6. Cost Estimation
It should be at accuracy in the order of ± 10%. Key capital cost items can be subdivided into:
- Cost of civil works.
- Cost of hydro-mechanical and electro-mechanical equipments.
- Cost of grid connection.
- Land acquisition.
- Engineering and project management costs (10 to 15% of total cost).
- Contingency (15 to 20% of total cost).

7. Financial Analysis
A financial analysis will allow the economic viability of the project to be assessed. The analysis must consider the
following parameters as part of its economic modeling:
- Base cost estimate.
- Revenue assessment.
The value of energy based upon demand capability, including seasonal variation and peak/off-peak pricing.
- Financing strategy.
- Cash flow analysis.
- Unit cost of energy.
- Net present value and internal rate of return.
- Sensitivity and risk analysis.
Appropriate consideration of risks and management of risk is very important considering the plant may be
embedded with local communities and ecology.
- Economic life (usually 25 to 50 years used).

8. Implementation
The feasibility study allows a detailed assessment of the technical and commercial viability of scheme to be
made. However, the decision whether to implement the scheme will be up to the investor. Criterions that must
be considered by the investor before taking decision are:
- The scheme would need to be technically feasible, but of simple arrangement with appropriate risk
mitigation and containment in place.
- Easy to implement.
- Cost effective/cheap.
- Environmentally and socially sound and sustainable.
Note:
Assessing the available water resource (Q) and head (H) is key part to predict the potential energy produced and cost
estimation relies on its accuracy.

Y
General Layout of Small Hydropower
Measure Flow Rate

 Stream levels will change through the seasons, so it is important to measure flow at various times of the year

Design Concepts – Weirs

 The weirs must be stable for all possible loading conditions, such as:
o Hydrostatic forces on the upstream and downstream
o Hydrostatic uplift acting under the base of the weirs
o Forces due to silt deposit in the reservoir and in contact with the weirs
o Earthquake forces
 The weirs should resist for potential overturning, sliding and bearing capacity.
 The horizontal forces divided by all vertical forces must remain between 0.6 and 0.75.
 Spillways should be designed to avoid damage due to the excess water.

Design Concepts – Intake

 The location of intake should be chosen in relatively straight section of the river.
 The intake shall be designed to produce relatively uniform flow and free of air entertaining vortices.
 The intake should be equipped with a trashrack to minimize the amount of debris and sediment carried by the
incoming water.
 To prevent clogging of trash rack against trash, flow velocity passing through the trashrack shall not exceed 1
m/s at the minimum operation level with clear screen.

Design Concepts – Waterway

 The dimension and velocity of water flow through the waterway are obtained by the Manning’s equation.
 The flow of water in the canal must not be so fast that the walls are eroded or that excessive head is lost, and
not so slow that silt settlement will clog the canal

Design Concepts - Penstock

 The material is selected according to the ground conditions, accessibility, weight, joint system and cost.
 Internal Diameter depends on the length, head and flow rate. The diameter is selected to reduce frictional losses
within the penstock to an acceptable level.
 The wall thickness is selected to resist the maximum internal hydraulic pressure, including transient surge
pressure that will occur. The wall thickness required depends on the pipe material, its ultimate tensile strength,
the pipe diameter and the operating pressure.
 For economic reason, the ratio of vertical length to horizontal length is at 1:5.
 The flow velocity in the penstock may vary, from 2.5 - 3 m/s.

The pressure of the water in the penstock depends on the head. If pipe with pressure rating which is too low is used,
then there is risk of a burst. If the pressure rating is too high then money has been wasted. The ideal penstock will be
low pressure at the intake and thicker at the nozzle where pressure is greatest. Moreover, it can be convenient to use of
uniform diameter but with different thickness as a function of hydrostatic pressures.
Design Concepts – Forebay

 The depth in front of the penstock should be deep enough to avoid water vortices. Inadequate submergence
may result in the development of vortices which tend to reduce the discharge of the penstock and the efficiency
of the turbine.
 The minimum water level should be placed 2 x penstock diameter from the invert

Design Concepts – Turbine

 The choice of turbine depends mainly on the head and the design flow for the proposed small hydropower.
 The selection of turbine also depends on the desired running speed of the generator.