Chapter 3: Policies, methodologies & tools to improve the exploitation of small scale hydro electricity potential

N° of chapter: 03
Name of the chapter: Policies, methodologies & tools to improve the exploitation of small scale hydro electricity potential
Duration in months: 12 ( months 6-18)
Leader of the chapter: NTNU

Description of the work

To assess the latest initiatives in terms of policy, and recent development in methodologies and tools that can be useful to improve the exploitation of small hydro electricity potential. The specific aim of this CP is to make available policies, methodologies and “friendly-use” tools for a better assessment of water resources availability, for assessing potential mini-hydro plants sites in the territory (including related environmental constrains), for a complete economical & financial analysis of SHP plants (including eventual subsides), to better communicate/disseminate opportunities to investors and to increase the interest of stakeholders to invest in small scale electric plants.

Outcome of this chapter:

Policies, methodologies, best practices and tools that can support governmental institutions, decision makers, stakeholders and the public in general, in actions aimed to improve mini hydro implementation in their own region, such as:

identification of promising small scale hydro plants sites, through the evaluation & management optimization of water availability, considering geodetic heat in the territory (at regional and basin scale);

• economical & financial analysis of SHP plants (including green certificates and eventual governmental subsides);
• disseminate SHP opportunities to potential investors (testing a Investor Database of potential sites, using GIS platform, and the benefits of implementing a public cadastre);
• assess the possibility to implement private & public join investment regulation to increase the interest of stakeholders to invest in small scale hydro electrical plants;

Deliverable(s) of this chapter:

1. D3.1 – Handbook on CD support containing the description of the policies, methodologies, best practices & tools that may support decision makers in implementing small scale hydro electricity plants, with respect to the evaluation and management optimization of water resources, technical/economical evaluation of small scale hydro plants, financial analysis including subsides. The Work package Leader NTNU, with the contribution of the participating partners, will provide to elaborate common conclusions adaptable to all the regions, and to compile a final version of the Handbook, available in a CD version for each partner;
2. D3.2 – Report with the recommendations concerning the implementation of private & public join investment regulation to promote the interest to invest in small scale hydro electrical production, one copy for each partner, made by CREMONA and the contribution of RSA and EAW4;
3. D3.3 – Description of the methodologies and customized informatics tools useful to support public organizations and investor to implement SHP plants in their own territory (concerning site selection, feasibility analysis, and economical/financial analysis of SHP plants). Description of the Investor Database of potential sites and the definition of the public cadastre structure to be published in the web, made by CESI RICERCA and the contribution of FSBUZ and NTNU.