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Hydro Power: The Potential Within the UK. By Calvin Laing. HP. February 24 th 2005. Hydro Background. Currently the largest electricity generating renewable ~2%. Long life time. Large capital costs. Potential large energy pay back. Types of Hydro Power. Large hydro > 5MW. ~ 95%.
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Hydro Power: The Potential Within the UK By Calvin Laing HP February 24th 2005
Hydro Background • Currently the largest electricity generating renewable ~2%. • Long life time. • Large capital costs. • Potential large energy pay back.
Types of Hydro Power • Large hydro > 5MW. • ~ 95%. • Dams/reservoir storage. • Important to national energy demand. • Operated by major electricity utilities. • Pumped storage.
Types of Hydro Power • Small hydro < 5MW. • ~ 5%. • Private developers/small companies. • Can make use of current weirs, natural drops. • “Run-of-river.” • Micro hydro – not connected to grid.
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
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.
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.
Another Possibility? • No shortage of hydro resources world wide. • Build hydro power abroad- import energy/put profits into other renewables.