Articles

Decision support system for micro-hydro

power plants in the Amazon region under a
sustainable development perspective
Claudio J.C. Blanco
College of Sanitary Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa 01
Belém – Pará, 66075-110, Brazil
E-mail: blanco@ufpa.br

Yves Secretan
INRS–ETE, 490, Rue de la Couronne, Québec – QC, G1K 9A9, Canada

André L. Amarante Mesquita

College of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa 01
Belém – Pará, 66075-110, Brazil

One of the main obstacles to the socio-economic development of the Brazilian Amazon is the lack
of electric energy in the numerous small isolated communities of the region that hampers value-
added agricultural production, revenue growth and creation of jobs. One way to solve this problem
is by setting up micro-hydro power (MHP) plants under a sustainable development perspective. This
paper presents a decision support system (DSS) that analyzes this solution. The system considers
the hydrological, topographical, geotechnical, environmental, energy, economic and social aspects
of the target site. A detailed analysis is made of the hydrological model that employs a rainfall
run-off model for small catchment analysis; the energy planning favors a two-turbine method to
determine the maximum energy production during demand peaks, and the economic aspects show
that the costs of energy generated by MHP plants are comparable to those from rural grid systems
and lower than those from from diesel generators. Thus, the use of the hydro-power resources of
the small catchments of Amazonia combined with the minimization of the environmental impacts
caused by MHP not only fulfills the energy demand of the small communities of region, but is also
viable economically along with job creation and revenue generation, and it supports the perspective
of sustainable development.
Key-words: Amazon region, sustainable development, small isolated communities, micro-hydro
power plant, decision support system

1. Introduction sequent increase in the social problems already faced by

The main objective of the present study is to propose a
decision support system (DSS) for setting up micro-hydro
power (MHP) plants in the Amazon region under a sus-
tainable development perspective. The 2002 Johannesburg
declaration on sustainable development [United Nations,
2002] considered that social and economic development
and environmental protection make up the three insepa-
rable pillars of sustainable development in order to ensure
human dignity for everyone.
This work proposes a methodology to analyze MHP
projects for the small isolated communities of the Brazil-
ian Amazon region, for which the lack of electric power
is often an obstacle to socio-economic development
[Amarante Mesquita et al., 1999]. This energy can be used
for value-added primary production, generating jobs and
revenues. It will motivate settlement, therefore reducing
rural migration towards the region’s bigger cities and con-
the populations of those cities. These small communities
have their own agricultural production, based primarily
on rice, beans, corn and manioc (to produce flour). They
also develop different kinds of fruit crops: açaí, acerola,
banana, cocoa, Pará nuts, cupuaçu, orange, papaya, pu-
punha, etc. [Caviglia and Kahn, 2001]. These crops are
not cultivated in sufficient quantities to eliminate the need
to harvest the same fruits in the forest.
Additionally, power can be used for supplying electric-
ity to the village (lighting of schools and hospitals, TV,
radio, etc.). Thus, the Amazon region’s small community
power supply supports the socio-economic development
process and consequently improves the lifestyle of the re-
gional population. In this context, the isolated indigenous
tribes of the Northern Amazon also want energy. For ex-
ample, electricity is actually supplied to the Wai-Wai tribe
(state of Pará) by diesel generators and it is common for

Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008 25

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Figure 1. Decision support system for micro-hydro power plants
the fuel to be transported by air.
Generally, the Amazon region’s rural areas and water-
side regions depend on the electric power produced by
generators run on diesel [Blanco et al., 2000], which is a
non-renewable source. Fuel is expensive and transporting
it is sometimes more expensive than the fuel itself [Dos
Reis and Silveira, 2000].
The existing problem of power generation and the lack
of value-added primary production in the remote regions
of the Amazon region can be solved through renewable
energy projects. This paper addresses the establishment of
micro-hydro power plants in the Amazon under a sustain-
able development perspective.
2. The proposed methodology
MHP addresses the needs of specific energy for areas
where small rivers forming small catchments have a
strong seasonally varying flow, like in the Amazon region
[Amarante Mesquita et al., 1999]. The DSS scheme uses
a rainfall run-off model [Blanco et al., 2005] adapted to
the region’s small catchment areas. The model is em-
ployed mainly to determine the flow-duration curves
(FDCs) that are very important for the MHP energy pro-
duction project. Furthermore, low-head installations with
run-of-river schemes are the most suitable for these re-
gions due to their flat topography.
Figure 1 presents a high perspective of the DSS for
setting up MHP plants, considering sustainable develop-
ment aspects. This paper analyzes certain branches of the
DSS, such as: community commitment that summarizes
26 Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008
the social aspects, topography, small catchment hydrology,
energy and economic aspects, and scheme planning. The
last two branches are presented in a low perspective,
which allows for a more detailed analysis of their neces-
sary decision-making tasks.
2.1. Micro-hydro power and sustainable development
Among the renewable energy sources normally used,
MHP is the most desirable for meeting the purposes con-
sidered in this paper.
It is a less expensive option compared to the new tech-
nologies such as biofuel, biomass and solar energy. MHP
is a mature technology; moreover, it is a much more con-
centrated energy resource than solar photovoltaic and
wind energy.
Generally, setting up MHP plants in rural areas of de-
veloping countries can offer considerable benefits to the
communities served, particularly where careful planning
identifies income-generating uses for the power. The in-
come generated can be used for economic and social de-
velopment of such areas [Harvey et al., 1993; Paish,
2002].
The environmental impact related to these areas in-
cludes flooding, reduced oxygenation of the water, up-
stream sedimentation of weirs, erosion of the turbine’s
draft tubes located immediately downstream, and electri-
cal machinery noise. These effects will be minimized be-
cause of the size of the plant and appropriate design
techniques [Paish, 2002]. In relation to the impact related
to flooding, Bezerra [2007] noticed that the maximum
area flooded for a MHP of 50 kW, called CGH Irmã
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Dorothy, to be set up in the community of Vila Sucupira,
Anapú, Pará state, is approximately equal to 3,000 m2.
This is equivalent to the area of a square with a side of
55 m.
Thus, the end-product is a potentially economic renew-
able energy source with smaller environmental impacts
than the impacts of the current technology, which, in this
case, is diesel generation. The most significant emisisions
from diesel generators are CO2, contributing to the green-
house effect and therefore to global warming, and par-
ticulate matter, NOx, and CO, which are hazardous to
health when inhaled.
The economic and social development and the low en-
vironmental impact related to MHP represent the three
inseparable pillars of sustainable development of the Jo-
hannesburg declaration, confirming that MHP can serve
as an energy source for sustainable development.
2.2. Community commitment
The following-up of power generation related projects,
through renewable sources for isolated regions, can only
be ensured with the commitment of the community
[Ramachandra et al., 2004]. In this work, the community
must play a central role in the decision-making process
of the projects (Figure 1), especially since they are de-
veloped around the community, also assisting the sustain-
able development of the region. Moreover, the central role
of the community also helps to ensure the management
of the project after the set-up phase.
Community commitment starts with power demand
analyses. Local knowledge can aid in guiding the choice
of the most feasible power supply project. Thus, the com-
munity is necessary throughout all the project’s feasibility
phases. The community also takes part in the other
phases: construction, operation and maintenance [Harvey
et al., 1993]. During the feasibility phase the community
defines the end-use of electricity, participates in choosing
the sites to be exploited and also helps determine the most
adequate way to extend transmission lines. The commu-
nity can contribute by hiring local workers for the civil
construction and for the hydraulic structures of the plants
(powerhouse, weir-dam, etc.) to lower costs, thus reducing
transport and logging expenses. Because of all the com-
munity skills used throughout the project, it is necessary
to organize, for example, a small catchment committee.
It will be responsible for reaching all the participants in
the community: municipalities, local churches, farmers,
small entrepreneurs, and finally, the community in gen-
eral. The indigenous populations of the community, if any
are present, must also be represented. This representative
character of the committee is critical to ensure that the
cultural variety and patterns of the Amazonian population
are respected. It must explain to the community that the
project will generate profits by providing jobs and reve-
nue. This information is used to motivate the local popu-
lation into participating in all of the project’s phases. The
committee also has to form the teams to work on the con-
struction of the MHP plant.
The committee is responsible for determining the water
uses of the community that lives on the small catchment.
Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008
If conflicts occur in the feasibility phase of the project,
the committee’s task is to reconcile the water uses of the
local population. This reconciliation must ensure the pres-
ervation of all water use. It will also have to train the
staff on how to operate and maintain the plants after the
demonstration phase is over because too many projects
have started out as a demonstration, but failed once that
phase has been completed [Fulford et al., 2000]. The lack
of trained employees is sometimes the reason for failure
of the system for a longer period of time, because of the
large distances among the villages and cities of Amazonia,
where qualified labor forces can be found.
In order for the project to be affordable, the committees
must request financing from the government in order to
purchase micro-turbines from one of the rural power sup-
ply programs. In Brazil, a federal program, called Luz
para Todos (Light for Everybody) [MME, 2005], has been
established to fund such projects.
Thus, the participation of the community is fundamen-
tal to the success of the project, especially because the
power demand of these small communities is the reason
for the project.
2.3. The hydrology of small catchment areas
In the Amazon region, hydroelectric power production has
been developed mainly in large basins, i.e., only in gauged
basins, those with long histories of stream flows. This
data is used to estimate floods, in terms of risk and in
terms of recurrence times for flood frequency analysis.
This information is crucial in projecting hydraulic struc-
tures (dams, weirs, spillways, etc.). The stream flows are
also used to plot the flow-duration curve (FDC) that de-
termines design flow for a hydroelectric power plant.
However, hydrological data measurement is expensive be-
cause of the region’s size. Road access is difficult and
fieldwork is often difficult, too. For these reasons, count-
less small catchments in the region still haven’t been
gauged, hampering the analysis of power supply potential
for small isolated communities [Amarante Mesquita et al.,
1999].
However, rainfall data in the Amazon region is more
readily available. Hence, Blanco et al. [2005] have devel-
oped a hydrological rainfall run-off model to simulate
FDC in hydro-power production. The model is based on
a linear and time-invariant system (input-output). The im-
pulse response of the system is calculated from the cross-
spectral analysis between the rainfall and run-off series.
A sensitivity analysis of the model to the sample size is
carried out to determine the shortest data period, but that
still allows for good model performance. This analysis
shows that it takes 18 months of rainfall and run-off re-
cords to simulate FDCs. Figure 2 shows the measured and
predicted run-off series, and Figure 3 shows the measured
and predicted FDC, for a small catchment in the Amazon
region using the model in [Blanco et al., 2005].
The hydrology of the region is characterized by two
seasons: the first, between January and June, the flood
season; the second between July and December, the low
water season (Figure 2). Fortunately, the floods coincide
with the primary production peak, helping to plan out the
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Figure 2. Hydrograms measured and predicted for a small catchment in the Amazon region

Figure 3. FDC measured and predicted in a small catchment area in the Amazon region

MHP scheme, since more power generation is required
during this period.
In the literature there is a significant number of studies
[Littlewood, 2003; Ouarda et al., 2001; Seibert, 1999] rec-
ommending the transferability of hydrological data of
gauged sites to ungauged ones. Blanco et al. [2007; 2008]
have developed the transferability of their rainfall run-off
model to simulate FDCs for hydropower production. The
model is the same as in [Blanco et al., 2005], but in this
case, the sensitivity analysis is carried out to determine
the shortest run-off period that still yields a good perform-
ance. This analysis shows that it takes 12 months of run-
off records to simulate FDCs by transferability.
Flow data necessary for model application (18 months)

28 Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008

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Figure 4. Scheme of hydrologic branch of DSS
or transferability application (12 months) can be estimated
from a rating curve (Q = f(H)) relating water level (H)
to discharge (Q) at a cross-section of a river. The same
rating curve is used for flood estimation, by overestimat-
ing the maximum water level H and the corresponding
discharge Q.
The main role of hydrological study is to determine the
FDC of the sites under study. These curves are needed
for the analysis of the energy aspects. Figure 4 represents
in detail the branch of the DSS that analyzes the hydrol-
ogy aspects of small catchments.
2.4. Energy aspects and scheme planning
For small communities, energy demand is mainly related
to value-added primary production (of corn, beans, rice,
manioc, fruit, etc.) and the need to improve their quality
of life. An example of this demand and of this necessity
has been found in small communities in the northern
Amazon river in the state of Pará [Amarante Mesquita et
al., 1999].
Moreover, local grains, fruits and manioc flour produc-
tion can be industrialized and directly sold to consumers.
Also, the energy allows production storage for business
supply between harvests. These last examples illustrate
how power supply can generate jobs and revenue.
Low-head plants are typical in the Amazon region, ex-
cept in its border areas: in the west, the Andes; in the
north, the Guyana plateau; and in the south, the Central
plateau. In other parts of the Amazon region, the only
suitable plant is a low-head MHP plant. Indeed, the great-
est opportunity to expand the use of small hydro power
is with low-head sites, since high heads are uncommon
or have already been exploited [Paish, 2002]. In these
cases, the MHP is typically run-of-river-built in river val-
leys. Kaplan and propeller turbines are generally indicated
Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008
for such low-head schemes [Eletrobrás, 2000].
The power generated in MHP plants is lower than 100
kW, which seems modest, but sufficient to meet the en-
ergy demand of the small communities. For example, the
small catchments of the Amazon, with a surface area
smaller than 200 km2 [Blanco et al., 2005; 2007; 2008],
have a power generation potential of about 50 kW, suffi-
cient to supply a small industry [Amarante Mesquita et
al., 1999].
2.4.1. Run-of-river schemes
The electricity generated from discharges in run-of-river
schemes is greater than the minimum required to operate
the turbine. This configuration does not use dams for
water storage or flow regulation; a weir is the only thing
built on the stream-bed in order to divert the required
flow. The flow excess continues through the river or
through the spillway.
In this work, run-of-river schemes are analyzed with
one or two turbines in parallel; during floods, both of
them running at the same time to produce more power.
Besides, the more powerful turbine runs during the period
between the end of the flood and the low-flow start; the
less powerful turbine running during the low-flow, if the
discharge of the river allows it.
Run-of-river schemes are feasible for the small com-
munities in the Amazon region because grain harvest takes
place between January and June and, as stated before, it
coincides with the flood season. This coincidence between
the peak of power demand (grain harvest) and the peak
of power production (floods) favors the power production
planning of MHP in the region. However, if the height
established by the weir (plus the natural gross head of the
site) is not sufficient to generate the required power, a
small dam can be built, but its height should not exceed
3 m [DNAEE and Eletrobrás, 1985]. This height ensures
that the MHP is still of the run-of-river type, that is, with-
out a significant capacity of water storage, thus preventing
flooding of large areas. In addition, small dams ensure
project simplicity and low cost.
Floods are simulated by a rating curve and by the sur-
face of the reservoir (formed upstream) not exceeding 13
km2. This value is set by ANEEL (Agência Nacional de
Energia Elétrica, Brazilian Electric Power Agency) Reso-
lution 652, and is applicable to small hydropower (SHP)
projects. This study uses the same value because there is
no resolution yet for MHP in Brazil. Resolution 652 con-
siders that a reservoir bigger than 13 km2 could have sig-
nificant environmental impact and would therefore require
a study of the plant’s socio-economic impacts before tak-
ing the decision to carry on with the project.
Considering the MHP design in relation to the number
of turbines, the first alternative would be a scheme
equipped with one turbine having a design flow matching
Q95% (flow rate at 95 % of the FDC) [DNAEE and Ele-
trobrás, 1985], which is characterized by the low flow of
the sites. For the small Amazonian rivers, low flows gen-
erate low power, which in general is not sufficient to meet
demand; in these cases, it is necessary to assume a design
flow with a value bigger than Q 95%. Thus, depending
29
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Figure 5. Operation ranges of the two turbines
Figure 6. The small catchment location (marked SC)
on the design flow value and on the turbine operating
flow range, one can have a small period without energy
generation.
2.4.2. Two-turbine method
Schemes can also be designed to have two turbines in
parallel, with the design flows Q1 (for the larger turbine),
Q2 (for the smaller turbine) and QT (total design flow),
QT = Q1 + Q2 (1)
Thus, the scheme equipped with two turbines ensures a
power supply similar to the power of one turbine with a
design flow equal to QT. Besides that, the MHP continues
its production with the turbine having a design flow equal
to Q1 that is larger than Q2. When the small river’s dis-
charge becomes lower than Q1, the scheme runs only with
the second turbine having a design flow equal to Q2.
Figure 5 shows the operation ranges of the two turbines
30 Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008
in relation to the percentage of time that flow is equaled
or exceeded in relation to the operation limits of the tur-
bines equipped with Q1 and Q2. Thus, Q- is the lower
limit and Q+ is the upper limit, η is the turbine efficiency
and QN is the optimum operation point. When considering
a particular FDC with economic and sustainability con-
straints, the choice of Q1 and Q2 can be posed as an op-
timizing problem. The turbine performance characteristic,
which is influenced by the regulating possibilities of the
distributor and rotor blades, plays an important role in
this optimizing process. If the economic study shows that
the cost of one or two turbines is similar, the option of
two turbines is more attractive since the power supply is
guaranteed for a longer period of time. It is with these
preoccupations in mind that the following examples were
studied.
2.4.3. Examples of run-of-river schemes with two
turbines
To exemplify the project with two turbines in parallel, it
is assumed that QT is equal to Q50%, which corresponds
to the peak demand period that occurs during the region’s
flooding periods (January-June); and Q1 is equal to Q75%.
Thus, the method based on Equation 1 is applied to the
small catchment (SC) indicated in Figure 6. The surface
of this SC is 82 km2.
Figure 7 presents the FDC of the catchment over 7
years (1993-1999) of stream flow records [ANA, 2003].
Thus, the design flow Q50% is equal to 0.9 m3/s. Q75% is
equal to 0.7 m3/s and Q2 is equal to 0.2 m3/s, meaning
that the turbine can run continuously with assured flow.
Equation 2 summarizes the calculation of the power P of
the micro-hydro power plant, where η is the total power
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Figure 7. Flow-duration curve and power generated by the scheme with two turbines
plant efficiency, ρ (kg/m3) is the density of water and g
is the acceleration due to gravity (m/s2).
P=η.ρ.g.Q.H (2)
Thus, to quantify power with design flows Q75% and Q2,
Equation 2 is applied with H = 7 m (gross head), η =
0.65 (turbine-generator-speed regulator), ρ = 1000 kg/m3
and g = 9.81 m/s2. Thus, PQ75% is equal to 31.2 kW and
PQ2 is equal to 8.9 kW.
Figure 7 also shows the annual power distribution of
the MHP that can be set up on the SC. It shows that for
the first six months (0-50 %), the plant runs with the two
turbines. For the next three months (50-75 %), the power
is lower and produced by the turbine with a design flow
equal to Q75%. In the last three months of the year (75-
100 %), the plant power is at its lowest because the
stream flows of the small river only run the turbine
equipped with Q2. The maximum power of the MHP for
SC is 40.1 kW and it is produced during the six peak
months. If other harvests (e.g., fruit) occur after the de-
mand peak, then, firstly, the turbine equipped with Q75%
can supply the demand, and then the turbine equipped
with Q2 will supply the remaining needs. If the latter is
not sufficient to meet the power demand, its power can
be used for domestic needs. Due to the period of weak
stream flows that exist during low flows, the option to
stop the energy production must also be taken into ac-
count. This is considered normal in projects of isolated
hydroelectric generation [Penche, 1998] and it is not dra-
matic because during low flows farmers are still preparing
the soil for sowing.
Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008
In this study, the sustainable development perspective
is fundamental for decision-making regarding installation
of the MHP. However, it can be associated with an eco-
nomic viability analysis of the schemes. This analysis is
presented in the economic aspects, covered in the next
sub-section.
2.5. Economic aspects
After the energy analysis, the methodology establishes the
cost of electricity produced by schemes with one or two
turbines and compares it with the production costs of die-
sel generators and, if there is a rural grid, with the costs
of the local supplier. The objective of the economic study
of the low-scale hydroelectric power supply project is to
compare the possible alternatives in order to get the most
advantageous choice for the community and also the pos-
sibility of abandoning the project, if it does not turn out
to be profitable. However, this methodology considers
that the most profitable project may not be the best project
for the sustainable development of the community.
From an economic point of view, a hydroelectric power
plant differs from diesel generators because its installation
cost per kW is much higher [Penche, 1998], but the op-
erating costs are extremely low, since there is no fuel cost.
In Brazil, mainly in the south-east, the cost per kW of
installed MHP is between (US)$ 510 and $ 2,074
[Balarim et al., 1998]. However, those costs cannot be
applied to this study, because the turbines analyzed are
of the Francis type. On an international level, Khennas
and Barnett [2000] analyzed projects in Nepal, Sri Lanka,
Zimbabwe and Peru and noticed a variation in the cost
31
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Table 1. Costs and annual energy generation of schemes with 40 kW
and depreciation parameters
Micro-hydro power
Number of turbines 1 (40 kW) 2 (30 and 10 kW)
Cost of the investment ($) 200,000
Cost of installation ($/kW) 5,000
Unit energy cost ($/kWh) 0.18 0.12
Annual energy generation (MWh) 172.80 259.20
Continuous energy time (%) 50 100
Period of operation (months) 6 12
per installed kW between $ 1,136 and $ 5,630.
The cost of installation Ci per kW produced is estimated
by
Ci = Estimated project cost/installed power (3)
Within the framework of a comparative economic analysis
between MHP plants, diesel generators and rural grids, it
is necessary to determine the unit energy costs of the
schemes that are shown in the following case-study.
2.5.1. Case-study
The following example shows the application of the eco-
nomic aspects to the SC site. The design head (7 m) is
the same used when considering the energy aspects (Sec-
tion 2.4), to determine the power when considering one
or two turbines.
Bezerra [2007] also evaluated the investment cost for
CGH Irmã Dorothy. In this case, the cost was estimated
as $ 200,000. This MHP is very similar to the site ana-
lyzed in the present work. Moreover, the cost of two tur-
bines with 10 and 30 kW is equivalent to the price of one
turbine with 40 kW. The prices were provided by the
manufacturer LTCC of Montreal, Quebec, Canada [LTCC,
2005]. Thus, the costs presented in Table 1 are comparable
to the costs of the installations presented by Khennas and
Barnett [2000] on the global scale.
In order to complete this analysis, it is necessary to
consider the depreciation of the scheme’s investment costs
for the calculation of the unit energy costs. A missing item
in this analysis is the cost of O&M (operation and main-
tenance) services. This item is very difficult to estimate
because it is necessary to know the prices of such services
for MHP in the isolated Amazon regions. On the other
hand, for the MHP, this approach is favorable since local
population training is foreseen to perform these services.
The annualized capital cost C (Equation 4) can be de-
termined by considering the present value (depreciation)
of an annuity calculated on the costs of the investment
(Table 1) of any scheme.
C = Cost of the investment/an (4)
where an is the discount factor for annuities of C and n
is the number of years for which the present value of C
is calculated. In this analysis, where the discount rate is
equal to 15 % and n is equal to 30 years (lifetime of the
project), a30 is equal to 6.566. Thus, the unit energy cost
(UEC) ($/kWh) of every scheme can be calculated accord-
32 Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008
ing to periods of operation presented in Table 1. The in-
stallation costs are considered for MHP only, with the hy-
pothesis of a charge factor equal to 100 %, otherwise the
UEC for MHP would be increased. Thus, the cost of a
kWh generated by MHP plants is lower than the cost of
a kWh produced by a diesel generator, i.e., 0.19 $/kWh.
This cost was calculated using the data presented by Da
Cruz [2000] and by considerating a diesel generator of 40
kW with the price in the Brazilian market in 2005.
Thus, if it were necessary to produce 40 kW in the long
term, the choice would be to buy energy from the rural
grid ($ 0.09/kWh) [ANEEL, 2005]. If the grid does not
exist and it is necessary to meet the demand of 40 kW
during the peak period (January-June), the choice would
be to produce this power from a scheme with two turbines
because of the lower cost ($ 0.12/kWh) continuing its pro-
duction after the peak until the end of the year, but on a
smaller scale, while the plant with one turbine
($ 0.18/kWh) only operates for 6 months. Additionally,
the two-turbine scheme has an annual energy generation
and a fixed percentage energy time bigger than those of
the one-turbine scheme (Table 1). The unit energy prices
($/kWh) for both schemes are used in Figure 8, which
summarizes the branch of DSS for energy and economic
aspects, plus planning of run-of-river schemes.
Analysis of energy and economic aspects supports the
perspective of sustainable development from the proposed
approach. It can be applied to the Amazon region’s un-
gauged small catchment areas by using the hydrological
aspects, also presented in this paper.
3. Conclusion
This study presents a decision support system (DSS) for
the installation of micro-hydro power (MHP) plants in the
Brazilian Amazon under a sustainable development per-
spective. This system takes into account the electric power
demand of the region’s small communities, their commit-
ment to the projects, and hydrological, energy and eco-
nomic aspects. Put together, they form the basis for the
project approval and the installation of MHP in the region.
Success in setting up MHP depends on the commitment
level of the local population. It begins with the energy
demand and continues with feasibility, construction, op-
eration and maintenance, which are required throughout
the project’s phases.
Hydrological aspects are very relevant, especially be-
cause the sites are located in ungauged small catchment
areas. Thus, stream flows are simulated with a rainfall
run-off model or with its transferability. These stream
flows are used to plot flow-duration curves that are nec-
essary to establish the design flows of the turbines that
equip the plants.
Analysis of the energy aspects has revealed that power
demand peak coincides with production peak. This coin-
cidence helps in the planning of the two-turbine method
schemes.
The case-study used for the analysis of the economic
aspects has shown that micro-hydro power is a viable eco-
nomic option for the isolated areas of the Amazon region.
 Articles
Figure 8. Energy and economic aspects and scheme planning
Furthermore, it is necessary to add the social benefits gen-
erated from the installation of the MHP, such as the so-
cio-economic development of the communities and
environmental protection, and to reduce the environmental
impacts entailed by the benefits generated by the diesel
generators. If this balance is evaluated, it will increase
the positive difference between the unit energy costs of
MHP and diesel generators.
The production of electric power by MHP, as discussed
in this paper, is an example of sustainable development,
care being taken to minimize the environmental impact.
MHP is a renewable source of energy with viable costs
to meet the demand for value-added primary production,
also generating jobs and revenue, which can be used for
the economic and social development of isolated regions.
Thus, the DSS developed under this approach can be used
as a basis of analysis for installation of MHP plants in
small communities in the Amazon region under a sustain-
able development perspective.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tec-
nológico) of the Brazilian Ministry for Science and Technology (reference number –
200360/00-0) for the financial support provided.
Energy for Sustainable Development • Volume XII No. 3 • September 2008
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