Prospects of Off Grid Energy Generation through Low Head Screw Turbine in Nepal

Micro hydro power plants installed in Nepal are characterized with medium and high head, which are mainly available in Hilly region for off-grid energy generation. But the development of this kinds of system is very low due to difficulty in construction of civil components in the geographical structure. So this study focus on the prospects of the installation of a low head hydropower system i.e Arcemedian Screw Turbine which need very less civil construction works and has very low head requirement and medium to high discharge condition. In this study we show the comparative study of the various cost component of different micro hydropower system with Arcemedian Screw Turbine. In addition we also study the economic evaluation of integration of this system into existing water infrastructure. Two types of existing water infrastructure are considered applicable for hydropower integration: irrigation canals and reservoirs. The theoretical designs for the civil works for the low-head Arcemedian Screw Turbine integrated into these structures are given and the costs of construction are estimated. A fresh installation system data is also extracted from Alternative Energy Promotion Center, Nepal for comparison with existing water infrastructure installations. The study concludes that the performance of turbine is mostly suitable for rural electrification and to integrate in cost-effective way, the civil works and installation cost should be greatly reduced.