An assessment of micro hydropower for rural electrification: a case study of Measa Basin, Thailand | |
| Author | Tharakorn Chanlapa |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.ET-11-23 |
| Subject(s) | Water-power--Measa Basin (Thailand) Rural electrification--Measa Basin (Thailand) |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Energy |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Renewable energy is an important resource for rural electrification worldwide, and most of them are in the developing countries. Hydro power is one of the oldest energy forms used by mankind which has proved to be economical and clean for electricity generation. This study aims to identify and evaluate potential of micro hydropower system for supplying electricity to nearby communities taking into account its technical, financial, and environmental aspects. The procedure to assess the hydropower potential was carried out in Mae Sa basin, Thailand. GIS database including information on topography, water flow rate, head, were used to assess the technical potential of hydropower which helped to illustrate the suitable area or location for micro hydropower project development. The RETScreen helped to evaluate the financial viability and emission reduction of the project. The result found that there were five possible locations along to Mae Sa River with suitable hydropower potential. The installed capacity ranged between 100 –179 kW with annual power generation of 832 –1,490 MWh that could supply electricity to nearby communities. The financial analysis showed positive NPV, IRR and very short payback periods. Moreover, the proposed projects could reduce GHG emission about to 2,823 tCO2 annually and can benefit by selling the CERs around 1,532,918 THB per year. For the present study, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)project activity procedure was also presented. The project design document (PDD) of a micro hydropower project was analyzed. The main calculation of the baseline emission and the project emission reduction was obtained. The result showed that the proposed project could reduce 778.75 tCO2/year of the emission and its CERs income would be about 422,838 THB/year. This study can assist to policy makers, planners and designers by providing information on the procedure for site selection, technical and financial viability and environmental aspect of micro hydropower system, and the procedure for doing CDM project. It also helps to assess whether a small scale hydropower plant would be suitable for rural electrification in the region or not. |
| Year | 2012 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Kumar, Sivanappan; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Singh, J. G.;Salam, Abdul P.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Thailand (HM Queen); |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2012 |