Hydroelectric resource assessment in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka State, India

Abstract

The amount of power available at a given site is decided by the volumetric flow of water and the hydraulic head or water pressure. In hydro schemes, the turbines that drive the electricity generators are directly powered either from a reservoir or the 'run of the river'. The large schemes may include a water storage reservoir providing daily or seasonal storage to match the production with demand for electricity. These schemes have been producing power in Karnataka for many years, with the first hydroelectric station built in 1942. The majority of them are in Uttara Kannada district. Due to environmental constraints, further construction of storage reservoirs is limited and attention has been focussed towards developing environmental friendly small-scale hydro schemes to cater for the needs of the region. In this paper, the assessment of potential carried out in the streams of Bedthi and Aghnashini river basins in Uttara Kannada district of Western Ghats is discussed. Potentials at five feasible sites are assessed based on stream gauging carried out for a period of 18 months. Computations of discharge on empirical/rational method based on 90 years of precipitation data and the subsequent power and energy values computed are in conformity with the power calculations based on stream gauging. It is estimated that, if all streams are harnessed for energy, electricity generated would be in the order of 720 and 510 million units in Bedthi and Aghnashini basins, respectively. This exercise provides insight to meeting the regional energy requirement through integrated approaches, like harnessing hydro power in a decentralized way during the monsoon season, and meeting lean season requirements through small storage, solar or other thermal options. Net energy analyses incorporating biomass energy lost in submergence show that maximization in net energy at a site is possible, if the hydroelectric generation capacity is adjusted according to the seasonal variations in the river's water discharge.