Small Hydropower—An Indian Perspective

Abstract

In view of increasing energy crisis and depleting fossil fuel reserves, hydro power has moved towards one of the top power development options to meet the increasing energy demand. India is blessed with many rivers, canal networks and mountains offering tremendous hydro potential of Small Hydropower (SHP). The potential of SHP in the country is around 15,000 MW, of which only around 13% has been tapped so far. Hence, it is very crucial to explore the balance potential to satisfy the fast growing energy needs. Government of India encourages SHP through various promotional schemes and provides subsidy for the installation as well as renovation/modernization of the projects. The aim is the capacity addition of about 2% in the power sector by SHP through participation of government & private sector, central PSUs, state electricity boards, local bodies and NGO’s. This paper studies the current SHP scenario in India as well as describes the developments that have taken place so far. An outstanding start has been made in commercializing SHP in India. Government policies/action plans for the development of SHP is presented. Different financing options and manufacturing status are given. The challenges and current trends in SHP are discussed.