Performance Evaluation and Analysis of Micro Hydro Power Plants Installed in Chitral

Abstract

Pakistan is off course blessed with a huge potential of renewable energy, but so far it remains underutilized. The result is the huge shortfall of electricity that we are facing currently. The single renewable energy source that Pakistan possesses in abundance is the Hydro Power which is more environmentally friendly and cheapest source. This abundant, cheap and environment friendly source that we have still remains underutilized. The best way to harness this huge source is the installation of small hydro plants rather than building huge dams that require huge investments, more construction time and are not environmentally friendly. Hundreds of these plants are installed in Pakistan in areas like Gilgit Baltistan, Chitral and the northern areas which have the maximum number of feasible sites. These micro hydro plants are the only source of electricity for isolated areas which are far away from the national supply of electricity. Supplying electricity to these areas from the national grid is not possible due to lack of physical infrastructure, financial constraints and geographically scattered population. These areas have huge potential of producing electricity from the natural potential in the water coming down to these valleys from high peaks. Micro Hydel Power Plants or MHPs have become popular in such areas due to their independence from the national grid and affordable energy costs. The major objective of installing a micro hydro plant is to fully utilize the available natural resource in most appropriate manner. A number of these micro hydel plants are installed across the northern areas of Pakistan. These micro hydro plants are providing electricity to areas where supplying electricity from national grid was once considered impossible. Although a number of micro hydel power plants are installed across but there is lack of information about their performance. Once build they are handed over to the community to manage. There is a need to know about these plants that how are they performing after installation. Either they are meeting the requirement or not. What were the problems faced during and after their installation? What is their socio economic impact on the region where they are installed? The basic theme of this research is to find answers to all these questions by evaluating the performance of already installed micro hydel power plants in Chitral