Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amount of storage, in which case the storage reservoir is referred to as pondage. A plant without pondage is subject to seasonal river flows, thus the plant will operate as an intermittent energy source. Conventional hydro uses reservoirs, which regulate water for flood control, dispatchable electrical power, and the provision of fresh water for agriculture.
Mankala Power Station along the Kymi River in Iitti, Finland
Run-of-the-river, or ROR, hydroelectricity is considered ideal for streams or rivers that can sustain a minimum flow or those regulated by a lake or reservoir upstream.[1][2]
A small dam is usually built to create a headpond ensuring that there is enough water entering the penstock pipes that lead to the turbines, which are at a lower elevation.[3] Projects with pondage, as opposed to those without pondage, can store water for daily load demands.[1] In general, projects divert some or most of a river's flow (up to 95% of mean annual discharge)[4] through a pipe and/or tunnel leading to electricity-generating turbines, then return the water back to the river downstream.[3]
Run-of-the-river projects are dramatically different in design and appearance from conventional hydroelectric projects. Traditional hydroelectric dams store enormous quantities of water in reservoirs, sometimes flooding large tracts of land. In contrast, run-of-river projects do not have the disadvantages associated with reservoirs and so cause fewer environmental impacts.[5]
Saint Marys Falls – run of the river (1902)
The use of the term "run-of-the-river" for power projects varies around the world. Some may consider a project run-of-the-river if power is produced with no water storage, but limited storage is considered run-of-the-river by others. Developers may mislabel a project run-of-the-river to soothe public perception about its environmental or social effects. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity distinguishes run-of-the-river and pondage hydropower plants, which can hold enough water to allow generation for up to 24 hours (reservoir capacity / generating capacity ≤ 24 hours), from reservoir hydropower plants, which hold far more than 24 hours of generation without pumps.[6] The Bureau of Indian Standards describes run-of-the-river hydroelectricity as:[7]
A power station utilizing the run of the river flows for generation of power with sufficient pondage for supplying water for meeting diurnal or weekly fluctuations of demand. In such stations, the normal course of the river is not materially altered.[7]
Many of the larger run-of-the-river projects have been designed to a scale and generating capacity rivaling some traditional hydroelectric dams.[8] For example, the Beauharnois Hydroelectric Generating Station in Quebec is rated at 1,853 MW.[9] Some run-of-the-river projects are downstream of other dams and reservoirs. The reservoir was not built by the project but takes advantage of the water supplied by it. An example would be the 1995 1,436 MW La Grande-1 generating station. Previous upstream dams and reservoirs were part of the 1980s James Bay Project.
There are also small and somewhat-mobile forms of a run-of-the-river power plants. One example is the so-called electricity buoy, a small floating hydroelectric power plant. Like most buoys, it is anchored to the ground, in this case in a river. The energy within the moving water propels a power generator and thereby creates electricity. Prototypes by commercial producers are generating power on the Middle Rhine river in Germany and on the Danube river in Austria.[10]
Advantages
When developed with care to footprint size and location, run-of-the-river hydro projects can create sustainable energy minimizing impacts to the surrounding environment and nearby communities.[3] Advantages include:
Cleaner power and fewer greenhouse gases
Like all hydro-electric power, run-of-the-river harnesses the natural potential energy of water by eliminating the need to burn coal or natural gas to generate the electricity needed by consumers and industry. Moreover, run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants do not have reservoirs, thus eliminating the methane and carbon dioxide emissions caused by the decomposition of organic matter in the reservoir of a conventional hydroelectric dam.[11] That is a particular advantage in tropical countries, where methane generation can be a problem.
Less flooding
Without a reservoir, flooding of the upper part of the river does not take place. As a result, people remain living at or near the river and existing habitats are not flooded. Any pre-existing pattern of flooding will continue unaltered, which presents a flood risk to the facility and downstream areas.
Disadvantages
"Unfirm" power
Run-of-the-River power is considered an "unfirm" source of power: a run-of-the-river project has little or no capacity for energy storage[12] and so cannot co-ordinate the output of electricity generation to match consumer demand. It thus generates much more power when seasonal river flows are high (spring freshet),[13] and depending on location, much less during drier summer months or frozen winter months.
The plant will probably have a lower head of water than from a dam, and will thus generate less power.
Availability of sites
Rapids can provide enough hydraulic head
The potential power at a site is a result of the head and flow of water. By damming a river, the head is available to generate power at the face of the dam. A dam may create a reservoir hundreds of kilometres long, but in run-of-the-river the head is usually delivered by a canal, pipe or tunnel constructed upstream of the power house. The cost of upstream construction makes a steep drop desirable, such as falls or rapids.
Environmental impacts
Small, well-sited run-of-the-river projects can be developed with minimal environmental impacts.[3] Larger projects have more environmental concerns. For fish-bearing rivers, a ladder may be required, and dissolved gases downstream may affect fish.
In British Columbia, the mountainous terrain and wealth of big rivers have made it a global testing ground for 10–50 MW run-of-river technology. As of March 2010, there were 628 applications pending for new water licences solely for power generation, representing more than 750 potential points of river diversion.[14]
Concerns
Diverting large amounts of river water reduces river flows, affecting water velocity and depth, reducing habitat quality for fish and aquatic organisms; reduced flows can lead to excessively warm water for salmon and other fish in summer.[3]
In undeveloped areas, new access roads and transmission lines can cause habitat fragmentation, allowing the introduction of invasive species.[3]
The lack of reservoir storage may result in intermittent operation, reducing the project's viability.
^ abDwivedi, A.K. Raja, Amit Prakash Srivastava, Manish (2006). Power Plant Engineering. New Delhi: New Age International. p. 354. ISBN81-224-1831-7.
^Raghunath, H.M. (2009). Hydrology : principles, analysis, and design (Rev. 2nd ed.). New Delhi: New Age International. p. 288. ISBN978-81-224-1825-5.
^ abcdefDouglas T, Broomhall P, Orr C. (2007). Run-of-the-River Hydropower in BC: A Citizen's Guide to Understanding Approvals, Impacts and Sustainability of Independent Power Projects
^Knight Piesold Consulting. Plutonic Hydro Inc. Bute Inlet Project. Summary of Project Intake and Turbine Parameters. Knight Piesold Consulting.
^Hydromax Energy Limited. Hydromax Energy Limited website
^"Hydro modelling description (PDF)" (PDF). www.entsoe.eu. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
^ abPartha J. Das, Neeraj Vagholikar. "Damming Northeast India" (PDF). Kalpavriksh, Aaranyak and ActionAid India. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
^Plutonic Power (2008). Revised Project Description for Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Project Requirements. P1. Plutonic Power.
^ORF News. Strom aus Bojen serienreif. German. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
^"Reservoir Emissions". International Rivers. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
^Douglas, T. (2007). "Green" Hydro Power: Understanding Impacts, Approvals, and Sustainability of Run-of River Independent Power Projects in British Columbia. Watershed Watch.
^Wilderness Committee. Wilderness Committee Comments on the Draft Terms of Reference, Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Private Power Project. Letter to Kathy Eichenberger, Project Assistant Director. P1. Wilderness Committee.
^IPPwatch.com website. IPPwatch.com 2011-01-13 at the Wayback Machine.
^Hydro-Québec Production (2012), Hydroelectric Generating Stations (as of December 31, 2010), Hydro-Québec, retrieved 2011-05-17
^(PDF). Geological Survey of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
^Gezhouba, China, Power Technology, Nov 2021, retrieved 2022-09-12
References
Freedman, B., 2007, Environmental Science: a Canadian Perspective; 4th edition, Pearson Education Canada, Toronto, pp 226,394.
January 26, 2023
river, hydroelectricity, river, hydroelectricity, river, hydroelectricity, type, hydroelectric, generation, plant, whereby, little, water, storage, provided, river, power, plants, have, water, storage, limited, amount, storage, which, case, storage, reservoir,. Run of river hydroelectricity ROR or run of the river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided Run of the river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amount of storage in which case the storage reservoir is referred to as pondage A plant without pondage is subject to seasonal river flows thus the plant will operate as an intermittent energy source Conventional hydro uses reservoirs which regulate water for flood control dispatchable electrical power and the provision of fresh water for agriculture Chief Joseph Dam near Bridgeport Washington USA is a major run of the river station without a sizeable reservoir A small and floating run of the river power plant in Austria Contents 1 Concept 2 Advantages 2 1 Cleaner power and fewer greenhouse gases 2 2 Less flooding 3 Disadvantages 3 1 Unfirm power 3 2 Availability of sites 3 3 Environmental impacts 4 Concerns 5 Major examples 6 See also 7 Notes 8 ReferencesConcept Edit Mankala Power Station along the Kymi River in Iitti Finland Run of the river or ROR hydroelectricity is considered ideal for streams or rivers that can sustain a minimum flow or those regulated by a lake or reservoir upstream 1 2 A small dam is usually built to create a headpond ensuring that there is enough water entering the penstock pipes that lead to the turbines which are at a lower elevation 3 Projects with pondage as opposed to those without pondage can store water for daily load demands 1 In general projects divert some or most of a river s flow up to 95 of mean annual discharge 4 through a pipe and or tunnel leading to electricity generating turbines then return the water back to the river downstream 3 Run of the river projects are dramatically different in design and appearance from conventional hydroelectric projects Traditional hydroelectric dams store enormous quantities of water in reservoirs sometimes flooding large tracts of land In contrast run of river projects do not have the disadvantages associated with reservoirs and so cause fewer environmental impacts 5 Saint Marys Falls run of the river 1902 The use of the term run of the river for power projects varies around the world Some may consider a project run of the river if power is produced with no water storage but limited storage is considered run of the river by others Developers may mislabel a project run of the river to soothe public perception about its environmental or social effects The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity distinguishes run of the river and pondage hydropower plants which can hold enough water to allow generation for up to 24 hours reservoir capacity generating capacity 24 hours from reservoir hydropower plants which hold far more than 24 hours of generation without pumps 6 The Bureau of Indian Standards describes run of the river hydroelectricity as 7 A power station utilizing the run of the river flows for generation of power with sufficient pondage for supplying water for meeting diurnal or weekly fluctuations of demand In such stations the normal course of the river is not materially altered 7 Many of the larger run of the river projects have been designed to a scale and generating capacity rivaling some traditional hydroelectric dams 8 For example the Beauharnois Hydroelectric Generating Station in Quebec is rated at 1 853 MW 9 Some run of the river projects are downstream of other dams and reservoirs The reservoir was not built by the project but takes advantage of the water supplied by it An example would be the 1995 1 436 MW La Grande 1 generating station Previous upstream dams and reservoirs were part of the 1980s James Bay Project There are also small and somewhat mobile forms of a run of the river power plants One example is the so called electricity buoy a small floating hydroelectric power plant Like most buoys it is anchored to the ground in this case in a river The energy within the moving water propels a power generator and thereby creates electricity Prototypes by commercial producers are generating power on the Middle Rhine river in Germany and on the Danube river in Austria 10 Advantages EditWhen developed with care to footprint size and location run of the river hydro projects can create sustainable energy minimizing impacts to the surrounding environment and nearby communities 3 Advantages include Cleaner power and fewer greenhouse gases Edit Like all hydro electric power run of the river harnesses the natural potential energy of water by eliminating the need to burn coal or natural gas to generate the electricity needed by consumers and industry Moreover run of the river hydroelectric plants do not have reservoirs thus eliminating the methane and carbon dioxide emissions caused by the decomposition of organic matter in the reservoir of a conventional hydroelectric dam 11 That is a particular advantage in tropical countries where methane generation can be a problem Less flooding Edit Without a reservoir flooding of the upper part of the river does not take place As a result people remain living at or near the river and existing habitats are not flooded Any pre existing pattern of flooding will continue unaltered which presents a flood risk to the facility and downstream areas Disadvantages Edit Unfirm power Edit Run of the River power is considered an unfirm source of power a run of the river project has little or no capacity for energy storage 12 and so cannot co ordinate the output of electricity generation to match consumer demand It thus generates much more power when seasonal river flows are high spring freshet 13 and depending on location much less during drier summer months or frozen winter months The plant will probably have a lower head of water than from a dam and will thus generate less power Availability of sites Edit Rapids can provide enough hydraulic head The potential power at a site is a result of the head and flow of water By damming a river the head is available to generate power at the face of the dam A dam may create a reservoir hundreds of kilometres long but in run of the river the head is usually delivered by a canal pipe or tunnel constructed upstream of the power house The cost of upstream construction makes a steep drop desirable such as falls or rapids Environmental impacts Edit Small well sited run of the river projects can be developed with minimal environmental impacts 3 Larger projects have more environmental concerns For fish bearing rivers a ladder may be required and dissolved gases downstream may affect fish In British Columbia the mountainous terrain and wealth of big rivers have made it a global testing ground for 10 50 MW run of river technology As of March 2010 there were 628 applications pending for new water licences solely for power generation representing more than 750 potential points of river diversion 14 Concerns EditDiverting large amounts of river water reduces river flows affecting water velocity and depth reducing habitat quality for fish and aquatic organisms reduced flows can lead to excessively warm water for salmon and other fish in summer 3 In undeveloped areas new access roads and transmission lines can cause habitat fragmentation allowing the introduction of invasive species 3 The lack of reservoir storage may result in intermittent operation reducing the project s viability Major examples EditMain article List of run of the river hydroelectric power stations Jirau Dam Rondonia Brazil 3 750 megawatts 5 030 000 hp under construction Santo Antonio Dam Rondonia Brazil 3 580 megawatts 4 800 000 hp under construction Chief Joseph Dam Washington United States 2 620 megawatts 3 510 000 hp John Day Dam Oregon Washington United States 2 160 megawatts 2 900 000 hp Beauharnois Hydroelectric Power Station Quebec Canada 1 903 megawatts 2 552 000 hp 15 The Dalles Dam Oregon Washington United States 1 878 megawatts 2 518 000 hp Teles Pires Dam Brazil 1 820 megawatts 2 440 000 hp Inga Dams Democratic Republic of the Congo 1 775 megawatts 2 380 000 hp Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd Satluj River Shimla India 1 500 megawatts 2 000 000 hp 16 Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan 1 450 megawatts 1 940 000 hp Gezhouba Dam Yichang Hubei China 2 715 megawatts 3 641 000 hp 17 See also EditEnvironmental impact of electricity generation Environmental impacts of reservoirs Hydropower Small hydro Micro hydro Pico hydro Gravitation water vortex power plantNotes Edit a b Dwivedi A K Raja Amit Prakash Srivastava Manish 2006 Power Plant Engineering New Delhi New Age International p 354 ISBN 81 224 1831 7 Raghunath H M 2009 Hydrology principles analysis and design Rev 2nd ed New Delhi New Age International p 288 ISBN 978 81 224 1825 5 a b c d e f Douglas T Broomhall P Orr C 2007 Run of the River Hydropower in BC A Citizen s Guide to Understanding Approvals Impacts and Sustainability of Independent Power Projects Knight Piesold Consulting Plutonic Hydro Inc Bute Inlet Project Summary of Project Intake and Turbine Parameters Knight Piesold Consulting Hydromax Energy Limited Hydromax Energy Limited website Hydro modelling description PDF PDF www entsoe eu Retrieved 10 August 2020 a b Partha J Das Neeraj Vagholikar Damming Northeast India PDF Kalpavriksh Aaranyak and ActionAid India pp 4 5 Retrieved 11 July 2011 Plutonic Power 2008 Revised Project Description for Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Project Requirements P1 Plutonic Power Hydroelectric generating stations Hydro Quebec Production www hydroquebec com ORF News Strom aus Bojen serienreif German Retrieved 30 November 2019 Reservoir Emissions International Rivers Retrieved 8 February 2017 Douglas T 2007 Green Hydro Power Understanding Impacts Approvals and Sustainability of Run of River Independent Power Projects in British Columbia Watershed Watch Wilderness Committee Wilderness Committee Comments on the Draft Terms of Reference Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Private Power Project Letter to Kathy Eichenberger Project Assistant Director P1 Wilderness Committee IPPwatch com website IPPwatch com Archived 2011 01 13 at the Wayback Machine Hydro Quebec Production 2012 Hydroelectric Generating Stations as of December 31 2010 Hydro Quebec retrieved 2011 05 17 Nathpa Jhakri Hydroelectric Project Himachal Pradesh India PDF Geological Survey of India Archived from the original PDF on 2 October 2011 Retrieved 7 August 2011 Gezhouba China Power Technology Nov 2021 retrieved 2022 09 12References EditFreedman B 2007 Environmental Science a Canadian Perspective 4th edition Pearson Education Canada Toronto pp 226 394 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Run of the river hydroelectricity amp oldid 1127564687, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
