Hydro Tasmania – Renewable Energy Drivers, Action and Plans

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 803-813
Author(s):  
Roger Gill ◽  
Harry Andrews

In Tasmania, the island state of Australia, the generator, Hydro Tasmania, is pushing technical, environmental and business boundaries in its plans to integrate a relatively high proportion (up to 20 percent) of large wind generators into its current complex mix of large and small hydropower plants. Its plans include projects to increase the efficiency of its older hydropower equipment as it prepares to supply much needed peaking capacity to the market in southern Australia via the groundbreaking Basslink undersea cable, which is due for completion in November 2005. Taken as a package these developments are creating a globally significant reference site for renewable energy systems. The paper will describe what is happening, and more importantly what is underpinning the developments, including: the harnessing of Tasmania's world-class wind resource, where recently constructed 1.75 MW wind turbines are achieving capacity factors of over 45 percent – some of the best productivity in the world today; the application of leading environmental science measures to ensure the sustainability of both the new wind farm developments and the transformation of the hydropower system to meet peak capacity demands; the relevance of the existing large hydropower storages that can operate in synergy with the wind resource; the contribution of Australia's renewable energy certificate scheme, which is effectively doubling the value of new renewable energy developments compared with existing generation sources; the application of the latest technology in hydropower turbines, combined with power system expertise from the world's leading manufacturers, to increase the efficiency of older hydropower generators, thereby more effectively harnessing the existing environmental footprint; and the transformation of Hydro Tasmania's business into a significant supplier and trader of premium value peak energy into the sophisticated Australian National Electricity Market.

2014 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Tom Keddie

In terms of generation capacity, Victoria has about 12,500 MW, out of a National Electricity Market (NEM) total of over 46,000 MW. A bit over half of Victoria’s capacity is made up of the brown coal generators in the Latrobe Valley (Loy Yang, Hazelwood, Yallourn). Gas-fired generation (mainly large open-cycle peaking plants, designed to operate only in times of high demand) and hydro plants (mainly parts of the Snowy scheme) add about 20% each, with wind currently making up the balance of around 9% of installed capacity in Victoria. In terms of wind farm location across the NEM, installed capacity is predominantly located in Victoria and South Australia, and to a lesser extent in Tasmania, with very small amounts in New South Wales and Queensland. This distribution is almost entirely due to the quality of the wind resource across the country.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 5994
Author(s):  
Keigo Noda ◽  
Kazuki Miyai ◽  
Kengo Ito ◽  
Masateru Senge

Small hydropower plants utilizing unharnessed energy in existing irrigation systems are a prominent source of renewable energy. In Japan, land improvement districts play a key role in the management of irrigation systems, but face serious problems in terms of management sustainability and require participation from non-farmers. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of residents’ involvement in small hydropower projects on their environmental awareness and understanding of the projects’ multifunctional regional value. We administered a questionnaire survey to 238 households in three areas: Itoshiro, Kashimo and Ibigawa. The respondents were categorized into four groups: participation, recognition, knowledge and control. Based on the degree of respondents’ involvement in small hydropower projects, inclusive relationships between their involvement and awareness were revealed. These relationships suggest that the trigger of resident involvement is a key factor in developing sustainable small hydro facilities within existing irrigation systems.


Author(s):  
Jaunius Jatautas ◽  
Pranas Mierauskas

Development of renewable energy sources together with sustainable development covers a complicated range of issues which require complex assessment in the context of Lithuania’s energy independence. Hydropower is an integral part of renewable energy resources and affects both the natural environment and human society. Although negative impact of hydropower on the environment is acknowledged, advances in modern technology can reduce the potential damage, especially when developing a network of small hydropower plants in Lithuania. Moreover, implementation and continuity of this kind of projects enables to improve the economic and social situation, e.g. by creating new jobs. Construction of small hydropower plants in combination with a sustainable development strategy would help to avoid the possible damage to the natural environment and would contribute to improvement of the country’s economic and social landscape. Limitation of the negative impact on the environment is primarily based on technological solutions – the appropriate construction of fish ladders or other passes at dams enables fish migration. Meanwhile, contribution to improvement of the economic and social situation in the case of small hydropower plants depends on political decisions and activity of lobby groups.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Korina Konstantina Drakaki ◽  
Georgia-Konstantina Sakki ◽  
Ioannis Tsoukalas ◽  
Panagiotis Kossieris ◽  
Andreas Efstratiadis

<p>The highly-competitive electricity market over EU and the challenges induced by the so-called “Target Model”, introduce significant uncertainties to day-ahead trades involving renewable energy, since most of these sources are driven by non-controllable weather processes (wind, solar, hydro). Here, we explore the case of small hydropower plants that have negligible storage capacity, and thus their production is just a nonlinear transformation of inflows. We discuss different forecasting approaches, which take advantage of  alternative sources of information, depending on data availability. Among others, we investigate whether is it preferable to employ day-ahead predictions based on past energy production data per se, or use these data in order to retrieve past inflows, which allows for introducing hydrological knowledge within predictions. Overall objective is to move beyond the standard, yet risky, point forecasting methods, providing a single expected value of hydropower production, thus quantifying the overall uncertainty of each forecasting method. Power forecasts are evaluated in terms of economic efficiency, accounting for the impacts of over- and under-estimations in the real-world electricity market.</p>


2022 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 155-162
Author(s):  
Korina-Konstantina Drakaki ◽  
Georgia-Konstantina Sakki ◽  
Ioannis Tsoukalas ◽  
Panagiotis Kossieris ◽  
Andreas Efstratiadis

Abstract. Motivated by the challenges induced by the so-called Target Model and the associated changes to the current structure of the energy market, we revisit the problem of day-ahead prediction of power production from Small Hydropower Plants (SHPPs) without storage capacity. Using as an example a typical run-of-river SHPP in Western Greece, we test alternative forecasting schemes (from regression-based to machine learning) that take advantage of different levels of information. In this respect, we investigate whether it is preferable to use as predictor the known energy production of previous days, or to predict the day-ahead inflows and next estimate the resulting energy production via simulation. Our analyses indicate that the second approach becomes clearly more advantageous when the expert's knowledge about the hydrological regime and the technical characteristics of the SHPP is incorporated within the model training procedure. Beyond these, we also focus on the predictive uncertainty that characterize such forecasts, with overarching objective to move beyond the standard, yet risky, point forecasting methods, providing a single expected value of power production. Finally, we discuss the use of the proposed forecasting procedure under uncertainty in the real-world electricity market.


Author(s):  
V. Zapototska ◽  
O. Skliarov

The features of the location and functioning of renewable energy sources in the Northern Black Sea region in the context of political and economic transformations are considered. The strategic importance and expediency of using alternative energy power with the use of a “green” tariff and the implementation of a new electricity market have been proved. Analyzed the main factors of development and operation of renewable energy sources, among ecology-geographical, socio-geographical, economic and geopolitical. The ecology-geographical factor makes assess first of all the natural and ecological conditions on the territory, which can be used to create new renewable energy power complexes with huge economic efficiency. For the Ukrainian Black Sea region, the prospects for the development of renewable energy power are primarily related to the use of wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy. The Northern Black Sea that is part of Ukraine, which receives the largest amount of solar radiation and has a lower relief, which facilitates the movement of winds from the coast of the Black and Azov seas deeper into the territory. In the system of socio-geographical factors, the population density, the pattern of settlements, the level of infrastructure development, the availability of skilled labour forces and the availability of energy consumers will be estimated. An economic factor has allowed evaluating and analyzing the cost of electricity generation from renewable energy power. The assessment of the geopolitical factor enabled the possibility and prospects of cooperation with investors from Norway, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Taking into account advanced international experience in the study of renewable energy capacity. Improved scientific methods for the investigation of renewable energy sources from the standpoint of social geography, not just within technological, engineering and economic areas. The principles of localization of alternative energy power are highlighted, which take into account the socio-geographical features of the Northern Black Sea Region: spatial distribution, labour resource potential, production infrastructure, economic attractiveness, regional competitiveness, etc. Identified functional and sectorial types of the regions of the Northern Black Sea region, which depending on the prevailing types of generation and the volume of production of electric energy. According to the results of the research, four functional-branch types have been identified: solar power – Odesa Region, wind – Donetsk, wind and solar – Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and wind and solar + small hydropower + bioenergy – Mykolaiv Region. By 2026, we predicted changes of those types for the following: wind – Donetsk (without changes), solar + wind – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia (without changes) and Odessa regions and wind + solar + small hydropower + bioenergy – Mykolaiv Region (without changes).Reflected energy- deficient and energy-surplus areas within the Northern Black Sea region, taking into account the balance of renewable energy power and total electricity generation. Investigated the potential of using alternative energy power using three-dimensional mathematical models. Spatial analysis of the most favourable spaces and areas for the development of new capacities of renewable energy power, taking into account the above factors and determinants, has been carried out. The further development of renewable energy power was adjusted according to the United Energy Network Development Plan until 2026 and the flow of foreign direct investment from the countries of the European Union. Presented trend in the dynamics of the distribution of renewable energy power.


Author(s):  
Artеm Golovin ◽  
Olga Solodukhina ◽  
Elvira Pyanikova

The purpose of the article is to assess the potential and prospects of using renewable energy sources in order to diversify electricity supply. The object of the study is the natural and economic conditions that determine the feasibility of using renewable energy sources in order to diversify electricity supply. The basis of the study was the data of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of assessing the possibilities of using renewable energy sources. The region of activity of the guaranteeing supplier JSC AtomEnergoSbyt is represented by the Kursk, Smolensk, Tver and Murmansk regions. An assessment of the installed electric power generation capacities made it possible to determine that in the Kursk and Smolensk regions generation with the use of atomic energy predominates. In the Tver region, the largest share of installed capacities is accounted for by nuclear generation, however, thermal generation has a significant share. The installed capacities of the Murmansk region demonstrate significant differentiation. There is generation in the region using atomic, hydrocarbon and renewable energy sources. The region is the only one among the considered regions that uses renewable energy sources. More than half of the generation of electricity in the Murmansk region occurs using renewable energy sources. An assessment of the potential of renewable energy sources in the region of activity of the guaranteeing supplier showed that in the Kursk, Smolensk and Tver regions it is inexpedient to place generation facilities using solar, wind, geothermal and small river energy. In the Murmansk region, on the contrary, there is sufficient potential to accommodate wind and small hydropower plants. An assessment of the bioenergy potential of the livestock industry showed that it is advisable to develop biogas energy in the Kursk, Smolensk and Tver regions, which, on the one hand, will allow the disposal of livestock waste, and, on the other hand, provide small towns with electricity and heat.


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