Design discharge determination for SHPPs with below 1 MW capacity

Abstract

The basic parameters for determining and calclulation of installed capacity and energy production of the small hydro power plant (SHPP) are design discharge and net head. The SHPP installed parameter Ki is the ratio of the design discharge and averaged perennial discharge obtained from the flow duration curve at the planned water intake location, so that being knowledgeable about the turbine design discharge is of great significance.The paper shows the previously mentioned parameters for nineteen planned SHPPs with capacities bellow 1 MW at the territory of Montenegro. For each SHPP, design discharge is determined according to two criteria: the highest electricity production and the highest income.