Hydropower
Engineering
:Heng 7011
Chapter 1:
Energy
sources and
Hydropower
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Total Energy production by region (2016)
OECD-The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development
Mtoe. Millions of tonnes of oil equivalent
(Mtoe) is a unit of energy used to describe
the energy content of all fuels, typically on a
very large scale. It is equal to
4.1868x1016 Joules, or 41.868 petajoules
which is a tremendous amount of energy.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Total final consumption by sector
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Sources of Energy
Chemical
• Fossil fuels (Combustion)
Non-Renewable Nuclear
• Uranium (Fission of atoms)
Chemical
Energy • Muscular (Oxidization)
Nuclear
• Geothermal (Conversion)
• Fusion (Fusion of hydrogen)
Gravity
Renewable • Tidal, hydraulic (Kinetic)
Indirect Solar
• Biomass (Photosynthesis)
• Wind (Pressure differences)
Direct Solar
• Photovoltaic cell (Conversion)
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Chemical Energy Content of some Fuels (in MJ/kg)
Wood
Coal
Crude Oil
Kerosene
Ethanol
Methanol
Methane
Natural Gas Source: adapted from C.
Gasoline Ronneau (2004), Energie,
pollution de l’air et
Hydrogen développement durable,
Louvain-la-Neuve: Presses
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Universitaires de Louvain.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Total primary energy supply by fuel Primary energy (PE) is an energy
form found in nature that has not
been subjected to any human
engineered conversion process. It
is energy contained in raw fuels,
and other forms of energy received
as input to a system. Primary
energy can be non-renewable or
renewable.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Largest producers by fuel in 2016
* In this graph peat and oil shale
are aggregated with coal.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Evolution of Energy Sources
Mid 21st
Century
Late 20th Animal
Century Biomass
Coal
Early 20th
Oil
Century
Natural Gas
Mid 19th Nuclear
Century Hydrogen
15th Century
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Source: Jean-Paul Rodrigue (2017)-The Geography of Transport Systems
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Electricity generation mix (2017)
OECD (2017) Africa
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Challenges
■ Energy Supply
• Providing supply to sustain growth and requirements.
• A modern society depends on a stable and continuous flow of energy.
■ Energy Demand
• Generate more efficient devices:
• Transportation.
• Industrial processes.
• Appliances.
■ Environment
• Provide environmentally safe sources of energy.
• Going through the energy transition (from solid to gazes).
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Conventional Energy Resources
What sources of energy have filled our requirements so far?
■ 1. Coal
■ 2. Petroleum
■ 3. Natural Gas
■ 4. Hydropower
■ 5. Nuclear Power
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Hydropower
■ Nature
• Generation of electricity
using the flow of water as
the energy source.
• Gravity as source.
• Requires a large reservoir
of water.
• Considered cleaner, less
polluting than fossil fuels.
■ Tidal power
• Take advantage of the
variations between high and
low tides.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
• Hydropower engineering refers to the technology involved in converting the
pressure energy and kinetic energy of water into more easily used electrical
energy.
• The prime mover in the
case of hydropower is a
water wheel or hydraulic
turbine which transforms
the energy of the water
into mechanical energy.
• It is necessary to create a
head at a point of the
stream and to convey the
water through the head to
the turbines.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Comparison with other methods of power generation
Positive sides
• Eliminates the flue gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion
• Avoids the hazards of coal mining and the indirect health effects of coal emissions
• Compared to nuclear power, hydroelectricity generates no nuclear waste, has none
of the dangers associated with uranium mining, nor nuclear leaks
• Unlike uranium, hydroelectricity is also a renewable energy source
• Compared to wind farms, hydroelectricity power plants have a more predictable load
factor*
• If the project has a storage reservoir, it can generate power when needed,
Hydroelectric plants can be easily regulated to follow variations in power demand
*Demand Load Factor = KWh/KW/hours in the period
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Challenges
• Construction of a hydroelectric plant requires a long lead-time for site studies,
hydrological studies, and environmental impact assessment
• Hydrological data up to 50 years or more is usually required to determine the best sites
and operating regimes for a large hydroelectric plant
• The number of sites that can be economically developed for hydroelectric production is
limited; in many areas the most cost-effective sites have already been exploited
• New hydro sites likely to be far from population centers (extensive transmission lines)
• Hydroelectric generation depends on rainfall in the watershed, and may be significantly
reduced in years of low rainfall or snowmelt
• Long-term energy yield may be affected by climate change
• Utilities that primarily use hydroelectric power may spend additional capital to build extra
capacity to ensure sufficient power is available in low water years
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
History of Hydropower
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
World’s Largest Dams
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Ethiopian Energy Resources
Sources: EEPCO
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Threshold : Access to Electricity
Access to Electricity 2010
3000
USA consumption 12000 kwh/yr/capita 2803
2500
500 kwh/yr/capita: minimum
2000 consumption for reasonable quality of life
1769
1500
1000 Kwh/yr/capita
500
157 198 170 82
24 73 33 127 80
0
Kenya
Eretrea
Egypt
Rwanda
Uganda
world Average
Burundi
Ethiopia
Sudan
DR Congo
Tanzania
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Ethiopia has immense amount of hydropower potential
• Only a fraction of this potential has been harnessed so far
• In Ethiopia hydropower generation started in the beginning of 1930's, when
Abasamuel hydropower scheme is commissioned in 1932.This station was capable
of generating 6MW and operational up to 1970
• Middle class economy targets per capita energy level from 150 to 1500 KWh at least
(6500 Europe to 13,500 USA)
• Access from 51% to 75% then 100% in GTP I and GTP II targets.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
List of hydropower plants in Ethiopia
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Water Resources of Ethiopia Eritrea
MEREB G ASH
• 12 River Basins
• Total Surface water Potential
TEK EZE
DE NAKIL
of 122 BCM Sudan ABBA Y
Djibouti
• Renewable ground water AYSHA
Potential of 2.6 BCM AW AS H
Somalia
• About 97% of the surface BARO AK OB O
water drains to W ABI S HEBELE
OG ADEN
neighbouring countries OMO GIBE
• Water Tower of east Africa Sudan
• Contribution to Nile Water
RIF T VALLY Somalia
ca. 86 % GENA LE DAW A
Kenya
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Summary of Hydropower status in Ethiopia
• Currently there are two different power supply systems (The Interconnected System
(ICS), which is mainly supplied from hydropower plants) and the Self-Contained
System (SCS), which consists of mini hydropower plants and a number of isolated
diesel generating units that are widely spread over the country.
• Ethiopia is ranked at number 64 when all hydropower capacity is calculated.
• When completed the Grand Renaissance Dam (6.0GW) and be the largest
hydropower plant in Africa.
• 2013 capacity data
o Pure Hydro: 1.89 GW
o Pumped Hydro: 0.00 GW
o Total Capacity: 1.89 GW
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Projects included in the 25-year Master Plan
•Tekeze II 450 MW,
•Geba (Geba River in Tigray) , 336MW,
•Halele Werabesa (River Gibe in Turkana basin), 422 MW,
•Genale Dawa III, 258MW,
•Genale Dawa IV, 256 MW,
•Border 800 -1200 MW, located on the Blue Nile,
•Mendia 2400 -2800 MW, located on the Blue Nile,
•Beko Abo 2100 MW, located on the Blue Nile,
•Kara Dodi 1600 MW.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Classification of Hydro Power Plants
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Classification based hydraulic characteristics (facility types)
• Run-of-river schemes
• Storage schemes
• Pumped-Storage schemes
• Tidal power development schemes
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Run-of-river schemes
• These are hydropower
plants that utilize the
stream flow as it comes,
without any storage being
provided
• Generally, these plants
would be feasible only on
such streams which have a
minimum dry weather flow
of such magnitude which
makes it possible to
generate electricity
throughout the year.
• Run-of-river plants may also be provided with some storage
• During off-peak hours of electricity demand, as in the night, some of the units may
be closed and the water conserved in the storage space, which is again released
during peak hours for power generation.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Storage schemes
• Water is supplied from
large storage reservoir
that have been developed
by constructing dams
across rivers.
• Generally, the excess flow
of the river during rainy
seasons would be stored in
the reservoir to be
released gradually during
periods of lean flow.
• Naturally, the assured flow for hydropower generation is more certain
for the storage schemes than the run-of-river schemes.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Pumped-Storage schemes
•During times of peak
load, water is drawn
from the head-water
pond to run the
reversible turbine-
pump units in the
turbine mode and the
water released gets
collected in the tail-
water pond.
During off-peak hours, the reversible units are supplied with the excess electricity
available in the power grid which then pumps part of the water of the tail-water
pond back into the head-water reservoir.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Tidal power development schemes
These are hydropower plants which utilize
the rise in water level of the sea due to a
tide
•During high tide, the water from the sea-
side starts rising, and the turbines start
generating power as the water flows into
the bay.
•As the sea water starts falling during low
tide the water from the basin flows back
to the sea which can also be used to
generate power provided another set of
turbines in the opposite direction are
installed.
•Globally, so far around 265 MW has been
developed, although around 120,000MW
are in the planning stage.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Classification according to Hydrological relation
SINGLE STAGE- When the run off from a
single hydropower plant is diverted back into river
or for any other purpose other than power
generation, the setup is known as Single Stage.
CASCADE SYSTEM- When two or more
hydropower plants are used in series such that the
runoff discharge of one hydro power plant is used
as an intake discharge of the second hydro
power plant such a system is known as CASCADE
hydropower plant.
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
Classification based on plant capacity
According to Mossonyi Present day classification
•Midget plant up to 10 KW •Micro hydropower < 5 MW
•Low capacity < 1000KW •Medium plant 5 to 100 MW
•Medium capacity < 10,000KW •High capacity 100 to 1,000 MW
•High capacity > 10,000KW •Super plant above 1,000 MW
Classification based on head
Based on head on turbine:
•Low head plants < 15m
•Medium head plants 15-50m
•High head plants 50-250m
•Very high head plants > 250m
The figure may vary depending on the country
standard
Faculty of Civil & Water Resource
Hydropower Engineering Instructor: Mekete Dessie (PhD)
Engineering
