MEHRAN UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND

TECHNOLOGY, S.Z.A.B CAMPUS, KHAIRPUR MIR’S

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

CASE STUDY REPORT

CHALLENGES OF HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS

Prepared by;

Name Roll No
Safdar Ali k-21EL069
Saif rehman k-21EL048
Junaid Qureshi k-21EL068
Huzaifa Hassan k-21EL074
Abdul Qadeer k-21EL085
Ateeq Ahmed k-21EL086
Sannaullah Jamali k-21EL075
 o CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION
2. ELEMENTS
3. CHALLENGES
 Cost Challenges
 Climate change Challenges
 Unwanted Situations Challenges
 Implementation Challenges
4. CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION:
Electricity produced from generators driven
by turbines that convert the potential energy of falling or fast-
flowing water into mechanical energy. In the early 21st century, hydroelectric
power was the most widely utilized form of renewable energy; in 2019 it
accounted for more than 18 percent of the world’s total power generation
capacity.In the generation of hydroelectric power, water is collected or stored at a
higher elevation and led downward through large pipes or tunnels (penstocks) to a
lower elevation, the difference in these two elevations is known as the head. At the
end of its passage down the pipes, the falling water causes turbines to rotate. The
turbines in turn drives generators, which convert the turbine’s mechanical energy
into electricity. Transformers are then used to convert the alternating voltage
suitable for the generators to a higher voltage suitable for long-distance
transmission. The structure that houses the turbines and generators, and into which
the pipes or penstocks feed, is called the powerhouse.
Falling water is one of the three principal sources of energy used to generate
electric power, the other two being fossil fuels and nuclear fuels. Hydroelectric
power has certain advantages over these other sources. It is continually renewable
owing to the recurring nature of the hydrologic cycle. It does not produce
thermal pollution. (However, some dams can produce methane from the
decomposition of vegetation under water.) Hydroelectric power is a preferred
energy source in areas with heavy rainfall and with hilly or mountainous regions
that are in reasonably close proximity to the main load centers. Some large hydro
sites that are remote from load centers may be sufficiently attractive to justify the
long high-voltage transmission lines. Small local hydro sites may also be
economical, particularly if they combine storage of water during light loads with
electricity production during peaks. Many of the negative environmental impacts
of hydroelectric power come from the associated dams, which can interrupt the
migrations of spawning fish, such as salmon, and permanently submerge or
displace ecological and human communities as the reservoirs fill. In addition,
hydroelectric dams are vulnerable to water scarcity.

2. ELEMENTS OF HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANT

The major components of a hydroelectric plant are as follows.

1. Forebay

2. Intake structure

3. Penstock

4. Surge chamber

5. Hydraulic turbines

6. Power house

7. Draft tube

8. Tailrace
 1. Forebay
A forebay is a basin area of hydropower plant where water is temporarily
stored before going into intake chamber. The storage of water in forebay is decided
based on required water demand in that area. This is also used when the load
requirement in intake is less.

2. Intake Structure

Intake structure is a structure which collects the water from the forebay and directs
it into the penstocks. There are different types of intake structures are available and
selection of type of intake structure depends on various local conditions. Intake
structure contain some important components of which trash racks plays vital role.
In cold weather regions, there is chance of formation of ice in water, to prevent the
entrance of ice into the penstocks trash racks heated with electricity and hence ice
melts when it touches the trash racks.
Other than trash racks, rakes and trolley arrangement which is used to clean the
trash racks and penstock closing gates are also provided in intake structure.

3. Penstock
Penstocks are like large pipes laid with some slope which carries water from
intake structure or reservoir to the turbines. They run with some pressure so sudden
closing or opening of penstock gates can cause water hammer effect to the
penstocks. So these are designed to resist the water hammer effect apart from this
penstock is similar to normal pipe. To overcome this pressure, heavy wall is
provided for short length penstock and surge tank is provided in case of long
length penstocks. Steel or Reinforced concrete is used for making penstocks. If the
length is small, separate penstock is used for each turbine similarly if the length is
big single large penstock is used and at the end it is separated into branches.

4. Surge Chamber
A surge chamber or surge tank is a cylindrical tank which is open at the top
to control the pressure in penstock. It is connected to the penstock and as close as
possible to the power house. Whenever the power house rejected the water load
coming from penstock the water level in the surge tank rises and control the
pressure in penstock. Similarly, when the huge demand is needed in power house
surge tank accelerates the water flow into the power house and then water level
reduces. When the discharge is steady in the power house, water level in the surge
tank becomes constant. There are different types of surge tanks available and they
are selected based on the requirement of plant, length of penstock etc.

5. Hydraulic Turbines
Hydraulic turbine, a device which can convert the hydraulic energy into the
mechanical energy which again converted into the electrical energy by coupling
the shaft of turbine to the generator. The mechanism in this case is, whenever the
water coming from penstock strike the circular blades or runner with high pressure
it will rotate the shaft provided at the center and it causes generator to produce
electrical power.

` 6. Power House
Power house is a building provided to protect the hydraulic and electrical
equipment. Generally, the whole equipment is supported by the foundation or
substructure laid for the power house. In case of reaction turbines some machines
like draft tubes, scroll casing etc. are fixed with in the foundation while laying it.
So, the foundation is laid in big dimensions.
 7. Draft Tube

If reaction turbines are used, then draft tube is a necessary component which
connects turbine outlet to the tailrace. The draft tube contains gradually increasing
diameter so that the water discharged into the tailrace with safe velocity. At the end
of draft tube, outlet gates are provided which can be closed during repair works.

8. Tailrace

Tailrace is the flow of water from turbines to the stream. It is good if the
power house is located nearer to the stream. But, if it is located far away from the
stream then it is necessary to build a channel for carrying water into the stream.
Otherwise the water flow may damage the plant in many ways like lowering
turbine efficiency, cavitation, damage to turbine blades etc.
This is because of silting or scouring caused by unnecessary flow of water from
power house. Hence proper design of tailrace should be more important.
3. CHALLENGES OF HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANT
3.1 COST CHALLENGES
Cost analysis in power generation involves various metrics such as
equipment, installation, financing, operation, and maintenance. This scrutiny
enables better comparison across countries and technologies, identifying key cost
drivers. Three key indicators selected are equipment cost, total installed project
cost, and leveled cost of electricity (LCOE)

Hydropower projects entail significant capital investment and long

development timelines due to complex civil engineering and planning
requirements. Major cost components include civil works and electro-mechanical
equipment. Civil works include dam construction, tunneling, powerhouse
construction, and infrastructure development. Electro-mechanical equipment
comprises turbines, generators, transformers, and control systems. While civil
works costs vary based on project location and requirements, electro-mechanical
equipment costs remain relatively stable. Additional costs may arise for remote
projects, such as transmission line construction and site infrastructure
development.

The civil works costs can be broadly grouped into categories:

 Dam and reservoir construction;

 Tunneling and canal construction;
 Powerhouse construction;
 Site access infrastructure;
 Grid connection;
 Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC); and
 Developer/owners costs (including planning, feasibility, permitting, etc.).
 For developments that are far from existing transmission networks, the
construction of transmission lines can contribute significantly to the total costs.
Accessing remote sites may also necessitate the construction of roads and other
infrastructure at the site.
The electro-mechanical equipment for the project includes the turbines,
generators, transformers, cabling and control systems required. These costs tend to
vary significantly less than the civil engineering costs, as the electro-mechanical
equipment is a mature, well-defined technology, whose costs are not greatly
influenced by the site characteristics. As a result, the variation in the installed costs
per kW for a given hydropower project is almost exclusively determined by the
local site considerations that determine the civil work’s needs.

TOTAL INSTALLED CAPITAL COST OF HYDROPOWER:

The total investment costs for hydropower vary significantly depending on
the site, design choices and the cost of local labour and materials. The large civil
works required for hydropower mean that the cost of materials and labour plays a
larger role in overall costs than for some other renewable technologies. There is
significantly less variation in the electro-mechanical costs.The total installed costs
for large-scale hydropower projects typically range from a low of USD 1 000/kW
to around USD 3 500/kW.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF CIVIL WORKS TO CAPITAL COSTS:

For large hydropower projects, the capital costs are dominated by the civil
works. The cost of civil works is influenced by numerous factors pertaining to the
site, the scale of development and the technological solution that is most economic.
Hydropower is a highly site-specific technology where each project is a tailor-
made outcome for a particular location within a given river basin to meet specific
needs for energy and water management. Around three-quarters of the total
investment costs of hydropower projects are driven by site-specific elements that
impact the civil engineering design and costs. Proper site selection and hydro
scheme design are therefore key challenges (Ecofys, et al., 2011).

ELECTRO-MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT COSTS:

The electro-mechanical equipment used in hydropower plants is a mature
technology, and the cost is strongly correlated with the capacity of the hydropower
plant. The proposed capacity of a hydropower plant can be achieved by using a
combination of a few large turbines or many small turbines and generating units.
This will be influenced to some extent by the hydro resource but is also a trade-off
between guaranteeing availability (if there is only one generator and it is offline,
then generation drops to zero) and the capital costs (smaller units can have higher
costs per kW). The design decision is therefore a compromise between trying to
minimize capital costs and maximize efficiency and the number of generating units
to ensure the best availability.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS:
Annual O&M costs are often quoted as a percentage of the investment cost
per kW per year. This will usually include the refurbishment of mechanical and
electrical equipment like turbine overhaul, generator rewinding and reinvestments
in communication and control systems.

The advantage of hydropower is that these kinds of replacements are infrequent

and design lives of 30 years or more for the electro-mechanical equipment and 50
years or more for the refurbishment of penstocks and tail races are normal. A
recent study indicated that O&M costs averaged USD 45/kW/year for large-scale
hydropower projects and around USD 52/kW/year for small-scale hydropower
plants.
3.2 CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Hydropower, long considered a sustainable and low-carbon energy source,
faces increasing threats from climate variability. Vulnerable to shifts in rainfall
patterns and water availability, hydropower plants may experience reduced
performance or shutdowns due to prolonged droughts and severe weather events.
Despite accounting for over 70% of global renewable energy capacity, hydropower
infrastructure's long lifespan exposes it to decades of climatic variability,
challenging traditional design assumptions based on historical data. As climate
change intensifies, big hydro projects like the Hoover Dam are seeing reduced
power generation due to dwindling water supplies, exacerbating energy challenges
in regions heavily reliant on hydroelectricity. The long-term viability of
hydropower faces mounting uncertainty amidst escalating climate impacts and
competing demands for water resources, necessitating adaptive strategies and
greater consideration of climate risks in energy planning.
Dams are not a zero-sum game. Dams increase water supplies and are an
insurance against drought. Every country that has a river, builds a dam. Due to
climate change reasons, it has been projected that in Pakistan there would be large
variations in precipitation and water supply, resulting either in extraordinary floods
or drought conditions. Differential Impact of Climate Change on the Hydropower
Economics of Two River Basins in High Mountain Asia Water stored in the form
of snow and glaciers in the High Mountain Asia (HMA) region regulates the water
supply, and resultant water based economies, that support the livelihoods of
millions of people. Trends in the seasonal and long-term melting of snow and
glaciers, governed by initial ice reserves, meteorological factors and geographic
features, vary across sub-basins in the HMA region.
3.3 UNWANTED SITUATIONS CHALLENGES

Hydroelectric power includes both massive hydroelectric dams and small run-of-
the-river plants. Large-scale hydroelectric dams continue to be built in many parts
of the world (including China and Brazil), but it is unlikely that new facilities will
be added to the existing U.S. fleet in the future.

Instead, the future of hydroelectric power in the United States will likely involve
increased capacity at current dams and new run-of-the-river projects. There are
environmental impacts at both types of plants.

Land use

Hydroelectric project reservoir sizes vary based on generator size and land
topography. Flat areas require more land than hilly ones due to deeper reservoirs.
For example, Balbina in Brazil flooded 2,360 square kilometers for 250 MW,
while a 10 MW run-of-the-river plant in hilly terrain might need only 2.5 acres.
Reservoir flooding causes significant environmental impact, destroying forests,
habitats, agricultural and scenic lands. It often necessitates relocating entire
communities, as seen with the Three Gorges Dam in China.

Wildlife impacts

Dammed reservoirs are used for multiple purposes, such as agricultural irrigation,
flood control, and recreation, so not all wildlife impacts associated with dams can
be directly attributed to hydroelectric power. However, hydroelectric facilities can
still have a major impact on aquatic ecosystems. For example, though there are a
variety of methods to minimize the impact (including fish ladders and in-take
screens), fish and other organisms can be injured and killed by turbine blades.
Life-cycle global warming emissions
Global warming emissions are produced during the installation and dismantling of
hydroelectric power plants, but recent research suggests that emissions during a
facility’s operation can also be significant. Such emissions vary greatly depending
on the size of the reservoir and the nature of the land that was flooded by the
reservoir.
mall run-of-the-river plants emit between 0.01 and 0.03 pounds of carbon
dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour. Life-cycle emissions from large-scale
hydroelectric plants built in semi-arid regions are also modest: approximately 0.06
pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour. However, estimates for
life-cycle global warming emissions from hydroelectric plants built in tropical
areas or temperate peatlands are much higher. After the area is flooded, the
vegetation and soil in these areas decomposes and releases both carbon dioxide and
methane. The exact amount of emissions depends greatly on site-specific
characteristics. However, current estimates suggest that life-cycle emissions can be
over 0.5 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour .

3.4 INSTALLATION/IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES:

In hydro power plant basically we need to install bulk of components that is also a
challenge in itself. This may include from transportation to installation of it . as we
know hydropower project includes the development of Dam , water
reservoir ,turbine ,construction challenge, alternator , installation of transmission
line ,the reusing facility of water reservoir.

We shall now discuss each of this challenge one by one.

DAM CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGE:

 The construction of dam is a big challenge, we need proper transportation
of construction material then the engineers working for construction should keep
the measurements of gates of dam intact, they should know the rate of flow of
water and also its head. The construction material should also be of high quality
otherwise the dam can collapse. The rainy season can also cause trouble during
construction of dam. Under water construction of Dam is also a challenge \

TURBINE INSTALLATION CHALLENGES:

First of all the transportation of such a heavy material like a turbine is a big
challenge, then its installation as we know the turbine in hydropower project is
installed inside water near its flow so that water can hit its blade at an angle .
Placing it perfectly at that angle is a big challenge. The water flow and turbine
depth or height is also a challenge.

ALTERNATOR INSTALLATION CHALLENGES:

The installation of huge capacity alternator is also a big challenge ,its proper
coupling with the turbine shaft should be guaranteed . It should always be placed at
safe region and away from people .The proper output of alternator that is supposed
must be guaranteed that is a challenge as well.

TRANSMISSION NETWORK INSTALLATION CHALLENGE:

Basically the output voltage of alternator are at low level , they are stepped
up by using a transformer and then fed to the transmission side so proper
installation of line and output connected to transformer also a challenge . the
proper working of all safety equipment should be made sure .

WATER RESERVOIR INSTALLATION CHALLENGES:

 The proper construction and then also its proper use at time of interest
should be made sure that is also a challenge . The water pump installed in it to
pump the water should be properly working .

4.CONCLUSION
To summarize, the selected countries have different local specificities;
therefore, the challenges facing the development of hydropower are different in
each. The key to solving them is the mutual cooperation between various
environments, integration of energy markets, and diversification of the used energy
sources, with a proportion of renewable sources. This will enable the harmonious
and sustainable development of each country in accordance with the assumptions
of the sustainable development policy, supporting solutions reconciling natural,
social, and economic interests.
In addition, whether the assumed objectives of EU energy policy will be achieved
cannot be clearly determined. Achieving these goals is possible because the share
of renewable energy in the final energy consumption in the selected countries is
growing. Each of them has implemented this policy; regardless of membership in
the EU, all regulations are implemented on a local basis. In other countries, this
implementation occurs on different principles through various types of agreements
between countries or membership in economic organizations (e.g., Switzerland,
Iceland,and,Norway).