Optimized Implementation of Small Hydropower Plants on a River. Case Study

Promotion of renewable energy sources (RES) utilization within the small hydropower plants (SHP) development must be done according to the RES-E Directive 28/2009/EC and taking into account the Water Framework Directive 60/2000/EC requirements for the environmental objectives achievement (ecological flow). The paper presents the hydropower potential assessment of the Sercaia River performed with the VAPIDRO-ASTE and SMART Mini-Idro software in order to identify the best location for small hydropower plants. The main results consist in finding the recommended installed capacity, the expected mean annual electricity production corresponding to the operation time of a small hydropower plant and the identification of an optimized hydropower scheme with 3 simulated small hydropower plant facilities.