Communication and control techniques for hydro power stations

National Hydroelectric Power Corporation of India is a premium undertaking engaged in development of hydro power in India. It has constructed some of the hydro power stations with fully automatic control. This has resulted in reducing operational limitations, improving availability, reduction in requirement of manpower to operate the project, operating cost and in turn indicates overall profitability of the project. The control systems act as the core to power generation plant operation. The authors examine the efficiency, availability, flexibility, convenience of expansion, open nature, communication protocol and performance, gained from past experiences. The system should essentially provide information to take decision. The authors also present recommendations ideally suited for hydro power stations based on techno-economical aspects in respect to the scheduling, monitoring, control and communication requirements.