Nepalese Pico Hydropower Generation

This paper outlines the progress-to-date on a pico-hydropower scheme intended for a remote Nepalese village. The scheme being developed uses a Kaplan reaction turbine at a design head of around 2.5 m. A test rig has been built for turbine development; this enables empirical data to be gathered to optimise the mechanical efficiency of the design and determine optimal operating conditions. Power is generated using an induction motor. A Chroma grid simulator has been used to provide the inductive machine’s reactive power and absorb the real power generated during testing. The final scheme will experience variation from both the input power and the village load requirements. Therefore, load control and reactive power control are being developed.