Hydropower, also known as hydroelectric power, is a type of renewable energy that generates electricity by harnessing the natural flow of moving water. India has the fifth-largest installed hydroelectric power capacity in the world. India's installed utility-scale hydroelectric capacity was 46,000 MW as of March 31, 2020, accounting for 12.3 percent of the country's total utility power generation capacity. A total of 4,683 MW (1.3 percent of the total utility power generation capacity) of smaller hydroelectric power units have been installed. This article will explain to you about Hydropower Energy Sources in India which will be helpful in preparing Geography for the UPSC Civil service exam.

What exactly is Hydropower Energy?

• Hydroelectric energy, also known as hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity, is a type of energy that generates electricity by utilising the power of moving water, such as water flowing over a waterfall.
• Hydropower is a form of renewable energy generation.
• Hydropower from water mills has been used for irrigation and the operation of mechanical devices like gristmills, sawmills, textile mills, trip hammers, dock cranes, domestic lifts, and ore mills since ancient times.

How Does Hydroelectric Energy Work?

• A reservoir of water, a gate or valve to control how much water flows out of the reservoir, and an outlet or place where the water ends up after flowing downward are all common features of hydroelectric power plants.
• Just before it spills over the top of a dam or flows down a hill, water gains potential energy.
• As water flows downhill, potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.
• The water can be used to generate electricity by turning the blades of a turbine, which is then distributed to the power plant's customers.

Hydroelectric Energy Production

How widely is Hydroelectric Energy used around the World?

• Hydroelectric power is the most widely used renewable energy source.
• China is the world's largest hydroelectric power producer.
• The United States, Brazil, Canada, India, and Russia are among the world's top hydropower producers.
• Hydropower accounts for roughly 71% of all renewable electricity generated on the planet.

Types of Hydro Power Stations

Based on Hydropower Facilities

• Impoundments, diversion, and pumped storage are the three types of hydropower facilities.
• Dams are used in some hydropower plants, but they are not used in others.

Impoundment

• An impoundment facility is the most common type of hydroelectric power plant.
• A dam is used to store river water in a reservoir at an impoundment facility, which is usually a large hydropower system.
• Water released from the reservoir spins a turbine, which then activates a generator, which generates electricity.

Diversion

• A diversion, also known as a run-of-river facility, channels a portion of a river through a canal or penstock before flowing through a turbine, spinning it and activating a generator to generate electricity.
• It may not be necessary to construct a dam.

Pumped Storage

• It functions similarly to a battery, storing electricity generated by alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear for later use.
• Pumped storage facilities store energy by pumping water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir when demand for electricity is low.
• When there is a high demand for electricity, the water is released into the lower reservoir and turns into a turbine, which generates electricity.

Based on Installed Capacity

• Micro: Hydropower projects with a capacity of up to 100 kilowatts.
• Mini: Hydropower projects with a capacity of 101 KW to 2 megawatts.
• Small: Hydropower projects with a capacity of 2 to 25 megawatts.
• Mega: Hydropower projects with a capacity of more than 500 megawatts.
• Thermal Power Plants: Capacity >=1500 megawatts.
  • Hydropower projects are divided into two categories: small hydro and large hydro.
  • Small Hydro Power (SHP) projects in India are hydro projects with station capacities of up to 25 MW.
  • While the Ministry of Power, Government of India, is in charge of large hydro projects, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is in charge of small hydro projects (up to 25 MW).

Hydroelectric Potential in India

• India's hydroelectric potential is estimated to be 148,701 megawatts (MW).
• Smaller hydro schemes (with capacities of less than 25 MW) are expected to provide an additional 6,780 MW.
• There have also been identified 56 sites for pumped storage schemes with a total installed capacity of 94,000 MW.
• India's hydroelectric power production is dominated by the public sector at 92.5 percent.
• Some of the public sector companies that produce hydroelectric power in India include the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), Northeast Electric Power Company (NEEPCO), Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), THDC, and NTPC-Hydro.
• With the development of hydroelectric energy in the Himalayan mountain ranges and northeast India, the private sector is expected to grow as well.
• Hydropower projects have also been built by Indian companies in Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and other countries.
• The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), a state-owned company in north India, has a 2.9-gigawatt installed capacity.
• After four decades of operation, the cost of generation is around 27 paise (0.35 US) per kWh.
• According to the International Hydropower Association, India's total hydropower potential is 660,000 GWh/year, with 540,000 GWh/year (79%) still undeveloped.
• India ranks fourth in the world in terms of undeveloped hydropower potential, trailing only Russia, China, and Canada, and fifth in terms of total potential, trailing only Brazil.
• India is ranked fourth in the world in terms of undeveloped hydropower potential, trailing only Russia, China, and Canada, and fifth overall, trailing only Brazil.

Potential Indian States

• The Alternate Hydro Energy Centre (AHEC) of IIT Roorkee estimated a potential for power generation from small / mini hydel projects in the country of 21135.37 MW from 7135 sites in its Small Hydro Database of July 2016.
• Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand are the hilly states of India, accounting for roughly half of the potential.
• Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Kerala are also potential states.
• These States are given special attention through close interaction, project monitoring, and policy review in order to attract private sector investment.

Hydroelectric Power Plants in India

• India currently has 197 hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of more than 25 megawatts.
• The following is a list of major power plants (producing more than 100 MW).

Hydroelectric Power Plants in India

Government Initiatives

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has taken a number of steps to encourage the planned development and to improve the projects' reliability and quality.
• Apart from subsidising State Governments to set up small hydro projects, various physical and financial incentives have been used to attract investment in commercial SHP projects.
• The Ministry is also emphasising the use of new and efficient water mill designs for mechanical and electrical generation, as well as the establishment of micro hydel projects of up to 100 KW for remote village electrification.
• Local organisations such as Water Mills Associations, cooperative societies, registered NGOs, village energy cooperatives, and State Nodal Agencies are involved in these projects.

Advantages of Hydroelectric Power

• Hydropower is a renewable energy source because it uses rather than consumes water to generate electricity, leaving this valuable resource available for other uses.
• It is a renewable source of energy that does not require consumables; it has a low recurring cost and thus does not require a large long-term investment.
• It is less expensive than electricity generated by coal and gas-fired power plants.
• It also reduces financial losses due to frequency fluctuations and is more dependable because it is inflation-free because it does not use fossil fuel.
• Due to its unique capabilities of quick starting and closing, hydropower stations are the preferred solution for meeting peak loads in grids.
• The operational requirements of hydro and thermal power plants are complementary, and a well-balanced mix helps to maximise capacity utilisation.
• The pattern of hydro power generation matches the seasonal load curves of regional grids.
• The load factor of the system is high during the summer/monsoon season, when hydro power plant generation is high due to heavy agricultural load.
• During the winter, weather-beating loads will be handled by thermal stations operating at base load and hydro stations operating as peak load stations.

Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Power

• Hydropower generation is a capital-intensive method of generating electricity.
• Diversion of forest land is sometimes unavoidable because hydropower projects are primarily located in hilly areas, where forest cover is comparatively better than plain areas.
• Due to hydropower projects, land has been submerged, resulting in the loss of flora and fauna as well as large-scale displacement.
• Dams can only be constructed in specific areas.
• A large portion of the agricultural land has been submerged.

Challenges in Hydropower Generation

• Due to potential tribal opposition, the hydroelectric power potential of the Godavari, Mahanadi, Nagavali, Vamsadhara, and Narmada river basins has not been developed on a large scale in central India.
• Complex planning procedures, lengthy land acquisition and resettlement, a lack of enabling infrastructure, including transmission, insufficient market scope, and long-term financing have all slowed the progress of many current hydropower projects.
• Several hydroelectric projects (HEPs) in India are stalled due to contractual disputes, environmental lawsuits, local unrest, financial strain, and unwilling buyers.
• Over the last ten years, only about 10,000 MW of hydropower could be added.
• Due to the fact that water and water power are state subjects, HEP construction is frequently delayed due to riparian state conflicts — the Subansiri HEP is a prime example of this.

Conclusion

Hydropower is one of the most cost-effective ways to transition to a renewable energy future. In 2050, hydropower has the potential to support over 195,000 jobs across the country. Hydropower has the potential to reduce cumulative greenhouse gas emissions by 5.6 gigatonnes by 2050, which is the equivalent of nearly 1.2 billion passenger vehicles driven in a year, saving $209 billion in avoided global climate change damages.