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MICRO HYDRO TOOLKIT UPDATE: NEW VIDEOS

7/22/2020

Have you seen our Micro Hydro Toolkit for practitioners? With support from the WISIONS SEPS, in partnership with Tonibung and Green Empowerment, HPNET has developed a set of technical tools for small-scale hydro practitioners. These practical tools, made by and for practitioners, include our Micro Hydro Standards Tool, Practitioners Database, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) "Canary" Load Indicator Device, DIY ELC Simulation tool, and our HPNET digital app.

We’re excited to introduce three new informative videos describing the ELC Simulation Tool and Canary Chic Load Indicator Device:

DIY Electronic Load Controller (ELC) Simulation Tool

A lack of local knowledge of Electronic Load Controllers (ELC) is often the reason for micro hydro shutdown. HPNET's Do-it-Yourself (DIY) ELC Simulation Tool is a physical device designed to help train village operators on the functionality of ELCs.

Watch the video for a snapshot of how the tool can be used to simulate load patterns and demonstrate the role of an ELC in regulating load.

Micro Hydro Toolkit App

The MHP Toolkit app is a graphic-based tool to help you understand basic, as well as in-depth technical aspects of community-scale hydropower. The app includes a digital version of the ELC Simulation Tool, described above. It also provides a micro hydro trouble-shooting guide, walking the user through tips and tests to solve issues ranging from over-voltage to unidentified noise coming from the powerhouse. The tool can be downloaded on Android and Windows.

This video provides a useful overview of the functionality of the MHP Toolkit app and all that it can offer practitioners.

Canary Chic Load Indicator

Some Micro-Hydro systems with a high electrical demand or lack of water resource can suffer from service interruptions. As consumers connect more appliances it can be difficult to know what the available capacity of the system is at any particular time during the day.

We set out to design a simple, low-cost, open-source device that can provide some insight for the consumers into when a system is reaching full capacity and therefore in danger of triggering a blackout.

This video gives a brief introduction to the device, how it works, how you can access the design materials, and how to make it most effective for your Micro-Hydro systems.

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RELIABLE MICRO & PICO HYDRO WITHSTAND THE TEST OF TIME IN SRI LANKA

7/22/2020

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Micro hydropower in Sri Lanka has played an immense role in energy access for the country, as well as the region. The Sri Lanka Energy Services Delivery Project (ESDP) and the follow-on Renewable Energy for Rural Economic Development Project (REREDP), both assisted by the World Bank (WB) and Global Environment Facility (GEF), provided extensive finance and technical assistance for the development of pico, micro, and mini hydro in Sri Lanka. (More in our Sri Lanka factsheet here.)

Decades later the country has a 98% electrification rate, mostly through grid extension. However, the local capacity built during the development of off-grid solutions now benefits other regions of S/SE Asia and also Africa. Sri Lanka micro/mini hydro experts support various other contexts, e.g. India, Myanmar, Rwanda. Its development in grid-interconnected micro hydro has inspired the same in Nepal (more here).

Likewise within Sri Lanka, utilities and regulatory bodies are keen to provide and maintain off-grid solutions that benefit last-mile communities that are not reachable by the main grid.

In this regard, HPNET member Padma Dewa Samaranayaka of the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) recently visited 2 project sites and was pleased to see that the fruits of SLSEA’s energy access initiatives are continuing to pay off, bolstered by the diligent efforts of the local communities who operate and manage the systems.

The first project the team visited was the Kalakundawa micro hydro system, in Kaluthara District. The SLSEA team found that the 12 kW micro-grid continues to run well after 7 years of operation. Situated 9 km from the main grid, the Kalakundawa MHP provides electricity to 20 households in the village. The system has required only minor repairs, which have been supported by SLSEA.

Kalakundawa micro hydro system. Credit: P. D. Samaranayaka.

Visiting the Kalakundawa micro hydro system. Credit: P. D. Samaranayaka.

Kalakundawa micro hydro system. Credit: P. D. Samaranayaka.

Next, the team ventured to the very remote village of Galamudana, where SLSEA installed 2 1kW pico hydro systems 8 years ago. 30 houses are connected to the systems.

Galamudana pico hydro. Credit: P. D. Samaranayaka.

Visiting Galamudana pico hydro system. Credit: P. D. Samaranayaka.

In both villages SLSEA is taking stock of preventive maintenance needed to ensure the systems run for many more years to come.

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WHY MANUFACTURING STANDARDS MATTER

7/20/2020

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Have you heard about our SEEED initiative? Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) is about supporting local practitioners and communities to transition to a sustainable approach to micro hydro, rooted in social enterprise. It’s about unlocking the potential for hydro mini-grids to bring long term environmental and socioeconomic benefits — to support empowerment that goes well beyond kilowatts.

As we continue to develop this initiative, we want to facilitate a closer look at the core elements that are needed to make SEEED happen. Firstly, reliable mini-grid technology is at the very heart of the solution. High-quality technical components provide the basis for long-lived, high-impact systems. This starts at the very first stage of the project: the quality of design, manufacturing, and installation. Appropriate standards for these steps can play a significant role in increasing technical reliability.

In this regard, HPNET has developed the MHP Standards Tool, in collaboration with Tonibung, Green Empowerment, with support from the WISIONS SEPS, which compiles standards and best practices from different countries. It can be accessed here. We are working to add more standards to the Tool and welcome your inputs.

For certain technical aspects -- such as manufacturing -- standards do not yet exist. In this article, HPNET member Joe Butchers sheds light on the “why” and the “how” of manufacturing standards for micro hydro quality verification, drawing on experiences from Nepal.

What is a standard?

A standard is a document that regulates expectations for a process, service, or product [1]. If a company is able to demonstrate that they have followed a particular standard, it shows that they have achieved an acceptable level of quality and are compliant with the regulations. For a product, they might indicate the expected dimensions, tolerances, and materials. Engineers use them as guidance when producing engineering drawings or writing technical documents. They guide the decisions made by designers when producing engineering drawings that are used by machinists, fabricators, and technicians.

How are standards used in micro/mini hydro?

Within mini/micro-hydropower, the use of standards can ensure equipment performs as required and that there is similarity between equipment produced by different manufacturers. As mini/micro-power sites are often located in remote regions, adherence to standards helps to reduce downtime. When engineers travel to a site for maintenance, they are aware of the type of equipment that they will find, increasing the possibility that they can repair the equipment quickly. If a part requires replacement, it can be ordered to site with confidence that it will be fit for purpose.

What are consequences of not enforcing manufacturing standards?

In Nepal, a reference micro-hydropower standard was first published in 2005 [2]. The standard provides a comprehensive overview of turbine selection, materials, dimensions, and design for electro-mechanical and civil components. Nowadays, the standard is not widely used by manufacturers nor applied during quality verification. This has resulted in a number of outcomes:

variation in installed equipment and its quality;
low quotation prices from unproven companies;
long downtimes as typically the original manufacturer is expected to carry out repairs.

How can the type of funding support impact quality?

In Nepal, where the vast majority of projects depend upon a subsidy, there is a significant opportunity to incorporate quality verification that considers adherence to the manufacturing standard. As recommended by the World Bank, a multi-stage inspection would ensure that there was quality in manufacture, construction, and installation [3]. Whilst expensive to integrate, the reduction in project failure and frequent repairs will save money in the long terms. In addition, the introduction of such checks forces manufacturers to improve the quality of constructed parts. The cost to manufacturers of not achieving a required standard would swiftly lead to changes in approach.

In locations where the subsidy driven model is less common, hydropower standards remain important. Where projects are private or donor funded, a required standard can be demanded from a manufacturer and agreed contractually. The project developer can conduct a quality check themselves or employ someone to do so, ensuring that the equipment meets the standard. HPNET has collected available standards online, these documents capture the experience of practitioners working across the world. To improve the status of micro/mini-hydro in relation to other electrification alternatives, ensuring quality is essential. By meeting the requirements of standards, manufacturers can ensure that hydro-mechanical systems deliver their expected power throughout their lifetime.

References

https://fractory.com/5-iso-standards-manufacturers/
AEPC. Reference micro-hydro standard. 2005.
World Bank. Mini and micro-hydropower applications. 2015.

Guest blog written by HPNET member Joe Butchers, a PhD Researcher at the University of Bristol, Electrical Energy Management Group.

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EARTH VOICES: FROM TAT GONE, MYANMAR

7/17/2020

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Our blog series Earth Voices sheds light on the connections between community-scale hydropower, indigenous-led conservation and sustainable development. Each edition highlights a different community, aiming to highlight that which makes each unique, while emphasizing a common thread – a worldview in which environmental sustainability is no new concept, but rather a reality which has underpinned community well-being and resilience for millennia. Earth Voices explores how community-scale hydropower reinforces environmental traditions by incentivizing watershed strengthening, which, in turn, enables reliable and sustainable power supply.

Cattle grazing in the picturesque Danu region of the Shan Highlands. Credit: Kyi Phyo Wai.

This year, we embarked upon the “UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” -- a designation that reflects a dawning realization that nature-based solutions are critical to achieving a sustainable future. Needless to say, it’s been a challenging start thus far. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in agenda setting, resource flows, and action on conservation and climate. Out of necessity, the world’s attention has turned to the immediate concerns of the global health and economic crisis. Yet, the urgency of the climate emergency continues to escalate, and ecosystem restoration remains imperative to planetary health and social-ecological resilience. In fact, in addition to combating climate change, forest conservation and restoration can prevent the emergence of new zoonotic diseases and future pandemics.

With all this in mind, it’s evermore critical to highlight local communities and indigenous peoples who have been championing conservation and regenerative solutions for millennia. While political leaders grapple with COVID-19 recovery efforts, and international actors face funding and travel restrictions, local communities continue to push forward nature-based solutions.

For this 3rd edition of our Earth Voices feature series, we bring you one such example from the Danu region of Shan State, Myanmar. This edition shines a light on the village of Tat Gone, where local change-makers harness the interconnected benefits of watershed restoration and community-scale hydropower. Read on, to learn how eco-restoration supports Tat Gone’s reliable power supply and cultural resilience, and to gain a glimpse into the vision and journey of an inspiring community mobilizer.

Myanmar’s locally-grown off-grid energy sector

Ethnic conflict and political strife have affected Myanmar for many decades, and the country only recently opened up after a half-century of Military rule. This context has posed various challenges for Myanmar’s energy sector. Decentralization has been ineffective in practice, meaning that region and state governments have little or no control over energy policies, plans and budgets. Additionally, areas controlled by armed groups are present in many regions and sometimes have their own infrastructure. Corruption and foreign export of generated energy further complicate matters and impede progress within the sector. [Hivos Myanmar 2019]

Despite these challenges and conflicts, Myanmar has a long history of locally developed, small-scale renewable energy technology, which has proven its efficacy over the past 30 years. To date, more than 6,000 small-scale hydro systems and 10,000 biomass gasifiers have been implemented by local developers, without donor support, foreign technology or enabling policy. Solar power has also emerged in more recent years, supporting agricultural end uses, with significant benefits for rural farmers across the country. These clean, low-cost energy solutions are attributed to a thriving community of grassroots entrepreneurs, whose resourcefulness has brought transformative impacts to thousands of rural communities.

This video provides a glimpse of Myanmar’s indigenous community hydro sector, featuring the Tat Gone pico hydro systems and 3 other community-scale hydro systems in Shan State.

The Danu region and people

Tat Gone village is located in the Ywangan Township of the Danu Self-Administered Zone, in the picturesque Shan Highlands. The region is home to the Danu people, a government-recognized ethnic group in Myanmar, who have a long history in Southern Shan State. The Danu people have their own language and practice Theravada Buddhism. Their unique culture is hinted at in the history of the term ‘Danu’ itself, which links back to the legend of Prince Kummabhaya, whose bow and arrow rescued seven princesses trapped in the caves by a giant spider.

In addition to being rich in culture, the Danu region is rich in environmental resources and fertile land. A productive and profitable agriculture sector provides a key source of income, supporting local livelihoods in Danu communities. International organizations such as USAID, Winrock International and GIZ have invested extensively in agri value chains in the area, particularly in tea-leaf and coffee production. Today, Danu coffee is sold in Seattle and elsewhere around the world.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, local producers have seen a significant drop in the selling price of tea-leaf and other crops, such as fruits. This has negatively impacted the local economy, however Danu communities such as Tat Gone are less severely impacted than others, in that they aren’t as dependent on external markets.

Rice paddy in Pindaya, Danu SAZ. Credit: K. Phyo.

Green paddy nursery and strawberry field in Pindaya, Danu SAZ. Credit: K. Phyo.

Environment, conflict and resistance

The region’s fertile land has also supported poppy plantations – the plant from which opium derives – fueling long-standing conflicts. Poppy plantations existed in the Danu region until the late 1960s to early 1970s, at which point a UNDP initiative substituted the plantations with tea-leaf growing. The Danu townships of Pindaya and Ywangan have since eradicated poppy growing, however it persists in other areas within Shan State, such as Lawksawk. Some armed ethnic groups still exist in these areas and conflicts between the military and community groups persist in this ‘triangle’ linking eastern, southern and northern Shan.

That said, the Danu people strive to maintain peace in the region. Residents have heard that the military has plans to establish a base camp in a watershed area in the Danu region, but the local communities don’t accept military entering the area.

Other challenges also persist in the Danu region, stemming from natural resources. For instance, the area has attracted mining and widespread logging, with devastating consequences for local communities and ecosystems. Mining has negatively impacted watershed ecosystems, while deforestation has resulted in frequent landslides and increasing water scarcity in summer months. However, local communities continue to resist natural resource exploitation on their lands. For instance, steadfast local resistance prevented a mining company from establishing itself in Mya Sa Ti – a Danu village with an important watershed, which provides drinking water to 20 nearby villages. Across the region, the Danu people continue to work to build back what has been lost, applying indigenous knowledge, innovation and determination to restore and conserve local ecosystems.

Landslide resulting from deforestation. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).

Deforestation has affected much of the Danu region. Credit: Kyi Phyo Wai.

Eco-restoration, land stewardship and hydropower

In 2000, the government mandated a Forest Conservation Department to lead conservation efforts in the area. However, local communities assert that the department is corrupted by profit motives and is ineffective, with limited human resources. According to Danu conservation champion, U Kyaw Lwin, “only bamboo remains in the government’s forest conservation area”; this is juxtaposed against thriving forest ecosystems that are stewarded by local communities, as per traditional knowledge.

It is the Danu people themselves who continue to conserve the primary forests, as they have always done, and who endeavor to restore ecosystems that have been degraded by logging and extractive industries. Danu communities carry an intricate understanding of local ecological systems, and the environment is very much intertwined with their culture and beliefs. In one Danu area, there are, in fact, plans in the works for a “forest conservation festival”, carrying religious significance, connected with Buddha’s teachings around living in harmony with nature.

The establishment of pico and micro hydropower has further strengthened pre-existing environmental stewardship practices among the Danu people. Small-scale hydro systems have been developed in at least 15 Danu villages, bringing extra incentive to protect the forest, since watersheds provide the perennial source of their electricity. As such, community-scale hydro has become intertwined with reforestation and conservation efforts across the region.

Local animal populations benefit from community-led resource management. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).

50 kW micro hydro system in Mying, Danu SAZ. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).

People-powered pico hydro

Tat Gone village provides a bottom-up example of an integrated approach to forest conservation and small-scale hydropower – in this case, largely attributed to the vision of one dedicated community mobilizer.

After seeing the wide-reaching benefits brought by community-scale hydro in other villages, U Kyaw Lwin was inspired to bring energy access to his own community through similar means. He learned the required technical skills from experienced local energy entrepreneurs, which he put to use in Tat Gone, toward a vision of ecologically sustainable and reliable energy provision.

Working together with other community members, U Kyaw Lwin led the installation of seven pico hydro systems in Tat Gone between 2000 and 2015. Six systems are currently in use, ranging from 1.5-5 kW capacity per system, with a total capacity of 17 kW. Two of the six systems are in the same location but use different transmission/distribution lines. While all of these projects are pico hydro projects, U Kyaw Lwin has also supported the development of a cluster of four community-owned micro hydro projects in the same sub-region.

Today, approximately 150 households are connected to the carefully planned pico hydro systems, out of the 167 households that make up Tat Gone village. Solar home systems provide lighting for some of the other households, and some families use both pico hydro and solar electricity. Additionally, the local school, temple and monastery are provided with free electricity from the pico hydro systems.

Bathing spot connected with Tat Gone pico hydro. Credit: Kyi Phyo Wai.

U Kyaw Lwin repairing pico hydro turbine. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).

Current and future benefits

The Tat Gone pico hydro systems have brought multifold benefits for community development. For instance, lighting enables students to study at night and extends the hours at which classes can be taught, with known benefits for learning outcomes. Moreover, the ability to power cell phones, televisions and radios provides access to vital information and communication channels – the importance of which is increasingly evident, as the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold. Soon Tat Gone will also trial electric cooking options, to reduce deforestation linked with collection of fuelwood.

Although the government's central grid has reached nearby towns, Tat Gone village has not received the central grid. The village would have to raise funds for the final transmission and distribution lines. In addition, there is little certainty about the reliability of the central grid. As such, the pico hydro continues to remain a vital community asset, providing multiple benefits to each household at affordable cost.

Integrating conservation and energy access

The Tat Gone community has seen the direct impact of deforestation on the river, with water scarcity noticeably worsening from one summer to the next. U Kyaw Lwin saw the critical need to restore the watershed ecosystem, to preserve Tat Gone’s water source – not only for drinking water, food security, and irrigation, but also to safeguard the community’s electricity supply. With a keen understanding of the linkages between the forest watershed, water and energy, U Kyaw Lwin mobilized his community to leverage the interconnected benefits of pico hydropower and ecosystem restoration.

In the video linked above (People Power in Myanmar), Tat Gone elder, Daw Eain Myar, observes how deforestation was gradually drying up the river; the community therefore plants trees and protects the watershed ecosystem, in order to ensure consistent and sufficient water levels and flow rates, for reliable energy access.

U Kyaw Lwin inspecting pico hydro channel in Tat Gone. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).

U Kyaw Lwin also explains how the community cultivates and consumes forest products in a sustainable way. For instance, the community has a collectively agreed upon protocol for timber extraction, wherein two trees must be replanted for every one tree that’s cut down.

“Without water, there is not light – we cannot produce electricity. Only if we conserve the forest, we can retain water. So we really need to conserve our forest.” – U Kyaw Lwin

While U Kyaw Lwin certainly stands out as an inspiring conservation and micro hydro advocate, his efforts are not carried out in isolation, nor are the actions of his community. Danu communities all across the region have self-mobilized to safeguard their natural resources, and collaborate on large-scale, organized resource mapping and participatory research initiatives. For instance, in 2018, the Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEENet) held a gathering in Tat Gone, as part of a participatory research project, called the "Community-Owned Integrated Pan Long River Mountain Watershed Management". Many villages came together to collaborate on a Community Sustainable Environmental Assessment, mapping the forest, water and energy resources of the upper, middle and downstream communities along the Pan Long River. The communities continue to carry out environmental monitoring and work together to sustainably steward their ancestral lands in the face of present-day challenges.

Community Sustainable Environmental Assessment workshop in Tat Gone. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).

Survey of village micro-hydro in Tat Gone, Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).

Map from Community Sustainable Environmental Assessment workshop in Tat Gone. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).

Bamboo pico hydro turbine. Credit: A. Khomsah et al. 2019.

Opportunities for locally-rooted, pro-environment pico hydropower

Among small-scale hydropower technologies, pico hydro (< 5 kW) tends to receive less attention and support, particularly as the cost of solar home lighting systems becomes competitive. Yet, we need only look at an example like Tat Gone to see the vast potential that pico hydro presents as a local, low-cost, high-impact solution.

A key advantage of pico hydropower is its low cost to sustain, long-term. Up-front costs are minimal, with little civil construction required, and there are no or few recurring costs, since there are no batteries to replace, nor complex technology. Moreover, pico hydro is easy to design, install and maintain, and doesn’t require formal education or training. Nearly all of the components can be fabricated or procured locally. When repairs are required, the simplicity of the system allows the community to be creative in using locally available material to rehabilitate the system.

In addition to its affordability, pico hydro is often favoured by rural practitioners due to its complementarity with environmental values and priorities. When integrated with watershed strengthening, pico hydro brings intersectional benefits for social-ecological well-being and resilience. In Myanmar and other countries across the region, we have seen indigenous practitioners consistently prioritize healthy watersheds, ensuring reliable energy supply, as well as sustainable community development.

Moreover, with appropriate load management, pico hydro systems can power more than household lighting loads. They can be used to power village-scale grain mills and other small machines to reduce physical drudgery and set up local enterprise.

Examples of successful, locally developed pico hydro can be seen all over the world. For instance, in addition to Myanmar, pico hydro also has had a long history in Laos, Vietnam, and India,. There continue to be unelectrified regions with untapped pico hydro potential. With support from WISIONS, HPNET members have collaborated through knowledge exchange activities, to continue advancing pico hydro throughout South and Southeast Asia.

Moving forward

As we navigate a path toward sustainable development and environmental resilience, it is clear that much can be learned from pico hydro, and the locally-rooted practitioners who have championed it across the global South. Moving forward into the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, let us uplift, and learn from, indigenous communities like Tat Gone, that are advancing nature-based solutions for the benefit of their people and our collective future.

Stay tuned for the Burmese translation of this article, coming soon!

Composed by Lara Powell, HPNET Communications Coordinator
With content from:
U Kyaw Lwin, Pico Hydro and Reforestation Practitioner of Danu
U Kyi Phyo Wai, Founder of Foundation for Renewable Energy and Ecology (FREE)
Dipti Vaghela, HPNET Manager

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LOCAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: TURGO TURBINE IN NEPAL

7/1/2020

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Introduction

Nepal is a country full of mountains and hills. Access to the electricity grid has always been a difficult task due to difficult terrains and cost involved. Thanks to its abundant water resources, support from development partners and government policy, micro hydropower technology was introduced nearly fifty years ago in Nepal. Today more than 30,000 hydro stations with an installed capacity less than 999 kW have been installed in the country generating more than 30 MW of electricity, which provides electricity access to more than 300,000 households. Most of them were implemented under a unique model of rural electrification where the rural communities were put in charge of constructing, owning and managing hydropower plants with the government of Nepal and many I/NGOs providing subsidy and technical support.

Nepal is considered as one of the best examples in the field of micro hydropower development. This sector is able to draw global attention. Today, Nepal can share its best practices, and lessons learnt on how capacity can be built in rural communities without access to electricity to own, build and run their own mini-grid systems. Through this, Nepal has developed an excellent working experience in micro hydropower plants which contributes to the national economy and community livelihoods. However, development of the technology has not moved forward since its introduction.

A brief on MHP manufacturing in Nepal

Today, more than 80% of installed turbines in Nepal are either Crossflow or Pelton. Both the technologies were introduced in Nepal in the early 1970's. The Crossflow turbine was first manufactured in Balaju Yantra Shala Pvt. Ltd. The Pelton turbine was introduced by Butwal Technical Institute. These two companies were the pioneering companies working in the promotion of micro hydro in Nepal where the Swiss and German aid programs were crucial in the development of the sector in Nepal. BYS and BTI were not only manufacturing the technology but also training people to develop in country capabilities. The trained human resources later started opening their own manufacturing facility in different locations in Nepal. They started product supply, installation, and maintenance services to abroad. We have been reaping benefits of the approaches that we learned in the early 70's, but there were few attempts to introduce new technology in Nepal and support Nepali manufacturers to develop new turbine designs locally. Further, decades of manufacturing of the same types of turbines has saturated the turbine market and some of the manufacturers wish to diversify their capacity but have not been able to do that on their own.

Technology transfer through a unique model

Research at the University of Bristol showed that the Turgo turbine would be a suitable design for Nepali contexts, fitting between the Pelton and Crossflow offerings and able to deal with the high silt content in Nepali rivers. Nepal Yantra Shala Energy (NYSE), a micro hydro manufacturing company in Kathmandu with an experience of more than 50 years in MHP had already observed the need for Turgo turbines in their manufacturing list. However, they were unsure how to progress the idea. They had purchased one small sized Turgo turbine set and kept it in their workshop. PEEDA has been working in the field of energy access, capacity development and research for 20 years. Turbine Testing Lab at Kathmandu University provides the facilities to test turbines across a range of power outputs. These 4 institutions joined forces to form a team to develop Nepal's capacity to manufacture the Turgo turbine locally. The year 2018/19 was spent working on the design, manufacturing and testing of the Turgo turbine at a Pico scale.

Experimental testing rig. Credit: PEEDA.

Advantages of the Turgo Turbine

Water enters through top of the turbine runner and exits through bottom, leading to less interference between incoming and exiting water flow.
Allows a larger flow for same size runner or a smaller runner for same power output.
Able to operate over wide range of heads and flows efficiently.
The Turgo fills the gap where the head is too high for Crossflow turbine, requiring the runner to be narrow, and where the head is too low for Pelton turbine, requiring a physically large runner rotating slowly.

Turbine application chart. Credit: PEEDA.

The unit has been installed in Naubise, Dhading which is about 22 km from Kathmandu Valley. This unit is available for anyone interested to see it in operation.

To introduce a new micro hydropower technology to Nepal, it was important to understand the capability of micro hydro companies and the manufacturing processes that are available. This information can be used to ensure that the design of all components for a new type of turbine is appropriate for manufacture in the context of Nepal. A thorough study was conducted of the Nepali manufacturing companies which are based in Kathmandu and Butwal, central Nepal. Our study showed that manufacturers in Nepal tend to have access to the same equipment and materials, meaning that the processes for fabricating Turgo turbines tends to be very similar. However, as casting is an external process, the interface between the micro hydro companies and casting companies is a potential risk to the quality and accuracy of the Turgo cups.

Next Steps

The next steps for the project are to increase the technology readiness level of the Turgo turbine in Nepal. This will enable manufacturers to be equipped with all of the necessary information to design, manufacture and install Turgo turbines. A joint effort of all the partners, including HPNET, will be facilitated to improve technology readiness. There are two parts to this future research:

Workshop on Turgo Design and Manufacture

This workshop will provide the information needed for key stakeholders to be able to identify potential sites for the Turgo turbine, size and design the turbine system, manufacture the Turgo runner, and install and test the system. Both theoretical and practical support will be delivered in the workshop to ensure that a good understanding of the turbine is developed in the Nepalese micro hydropower manufacturing community.

Open-Source Repository of Turgo Turbine System Design and Webinar

The scalable tools and drawings for the Turgo turbine will be placed in an open and free web-based repository, enabling access for any stakeholder that is interested in the Turgo turbine. This will allow micro-hydropower manufacturers, in Nepal and worldwide, access to the necessary details to construct a complete Turgo turbine system. Alongside the drawings, guides will be developed to enable the knowledge generated from both projects to be shared with the audience, for example key constraints in casting Turgo cups, jigs required to assemble the runner, and how to select an appropriate site for the turbine.
The project team will also install a micro hydropower scale Turgo turbine at a site to demonstrate its potential for the future. With these plans in place, we hope the future for the Turgo turbine in Nepal is bright!

Turgo project near Kathmandu. Credit: PEEDA.

This article was written by guest blogger and HPNET Board of Representatives Member, Biraj Gautam, who is the Research Team Leader of the project and Chief Executive Officer at People, Energy and Environment Development Association (PEEDA) in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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the flow

MICRO HYDRO TOOLKIT UPDATE: NEW VIDEOS

RELIABLE MICRO & PICO HYDRO WITHSTAND THE TEST OF TIME IN SRI LANKA

WHY MANUFACTURING STANDARDS MATTER

EARTH VOICES: FROM TAT GONE, MYANMAR

LOCAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: TURGO TURBINE IN NEPAL

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