The reason for the decline of small hydropower in both regions of Europe was the development of supra-regional power supply networks. While the advantages of small hydropower were rediscovered in the West by the mid-1970s and appropriate measures taken, there was neither enough capital nor economic incentives for their reawakening in the East, i.e. in the new EU countries. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the importance of small hydropower is rising again in those new EU countries with sufficient water supplies. Laws promoting renewable energies are gradually emerging and more reliable framework conditions draw foreign capital into the country. Following this development, the European Small Hydropower Association/ESHA is increasingly focusing on the new EU countries.
Meanwhile, the association has not only identified facts, but also those incentives and obstacles, which are relevant to small hydropower operators. In this context, Poland can certainly not be considered as a core country of European hydropower. After all, only a few European countries are “blessed” with hydropower, as for example the Alpine countries.
However, it is more important to wisely use existing potentials and to contribute to reducing CO2 emission. This proves successful in Poland, as the development in the last decades shows.
However, it is a fact that only six percent of all plants – predominantly small and smallest hydropower stations – are privately owned. Furthermore, statistics show that the major part (68 %) of all small hydropower stations has been built in the past 12 years – last but not least because a great number of pertaining research and development programmes have been implemented in the past two decades. Due to the extensive absence of mountains, 93 percent of plants have a head of less than 15 m. Thus, they are typical low-pressure stations. By definition, the capacity limit for small hydropower is five MW.
In Poland, small hydropower presently contributes only 0.6 percent to power generation. However, hydropower in general contributes only two percent. In spite of this figures, hydropower represents 70 percent, and small hydropower 30 percent of renewable energy sources.
In Poland, the theoretical small hydropower potential amounts to about 13,400 GWh/yr. Technologically and economically exploitable, however, are only 2,500 GWh. Only 40 % are presently used – a stimulus to further support the role of small hydropower as the spine of renewable production! Regarding environmental sensitivity, Poland pursues a “moderate policy”. Thus, there are no rivers being excluded from any form of hydropower use.
Nevertheless, environmental compatibility analyses are required for hydropower projects and corresponding specifications issued in the course of the authorisation procedure. Many small hydropower projects are already being implemented at existing regulation structures or in the course of new constructions. This often protects hydropower from coming under the fire of opponents – most certainly a clever move! In general, however, the population supports small hydropower.
And how about the supplying industry? The “Polish turbine” is not exactly a blockbuster on the world market, although there do exist exports, e.g. to Germany. Several small manufacturers mostly supply the domestic market for capacities of up to 100 kW. A small number of manufacturers produce Francis and Kaplan turbines of up to 2,500 kW. The investment costs for new small hydropower stations in Poland amount to between e 800 and e 1,200/kW. Compared to Europe, this is relatively cheap, considering that low-pressure stations are prevailing.
Feeding tariffs are not necessarily guaranteed – they have to be negotiated and are between E 0.04–0.06/kWh. This would allow investments, but there are no long-term guarantees and no trust in the system. The main problem for the success of small hydropower in Poland therefore seems to be investment safety.
This is demonstrated on the one hand by the absence of guaranteed feeding tariffs, and on the other by different insufficiencies in the field of water and nature protection, ownership right, network connection, etc. In this context, the government is called upon to create reliable rules and regulations according to the EU objective to increase the share of renewable energy.
The major competitor of small hydropower is biomass. It is strongly supported on the part of national energy agencies, which see a chance for Polish agriculture. Small hydropower is often wrongly marginalized.
(Source: aqua press Int. 2/2005, Prof. DI Dr. Bernhard Pelikan)
