Improving the Energy Efficiency of Small Hydropower Plants by Connecting an Energy Saving System with Kinetic Energy Storage

The potential and prospects for the development of small hydropower in Ukraine are analyzed. A method of increasing the energy efficiency of a small hydroelectric power plant while ensuring coverage of the consumer load is proposed and substantiated. The choice of an energy storage system based on kinetic storage devices is substantiated. The structure of the "small hydropower plant-energy storage system – consumer" system was developed and the energy efficiency of its operation was proven on the basis of mathematical modeling. The possible configurations of the system for various operating modes have been compiled, which also ensures an increase in energy efficiency due to the optimization of its architecture.