Pico hydro: Clean power from small streams

Running the generator and use of battery to light up the house are common to rural folks. The difficulty of getting the fuel and the cost of fuel are the main problems. Use of other alternative renewable energy such as solar photovoltaic modules, which is available for a number of hours per day, is very costly. It is required to find suitable option to provide cheap and reliable option. While large hydropower provides electrical power for industry and domestic use, small-scale hydro is making some contributions toward providing this basic need to remote and off-grid areas especially in developing countries. This paper is focusing on pico hydro, a run-of-river application which does not require dam or reservoir for water storage. It is cost effective, environmentally friendly and the turbine can be manufactured locally. Several applications in developing countries are highlighted. Small-scale hydro turbines are reviewed and their applications at power production environment. Finally, the paper also discusses the efforts made by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to promote this technology for rural electrification program. Key-Words: Pico hydro, small-scale hydropower, turbine, rural electrification, run-of-river