Mini-hydel plants
Also called: Small hydro · Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Environment and Sustainable Development"
Meaning
Mini-hydel plants are small power units. They put turbines on mountain streams that flow all year and generate electricity for nearby villages. They do not flood land the way big dams do, so land use stays the same. The power is used locally, so no long transmission lines are needed and none of it is lost on the way.
Example
MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) counts hydro plants of up to 25 MW as "small hydro". A hill village beside a perennial stream can run a mini-hydel unit and have its own electricity without joining the distant grid.
Don't confuse with
- Large hydro projects: big dams that flood forests, disturb the river's natural flow and often displace people. Mini-hydel plants avoid these harms, but they produce much less power.
Related concepts
- Non-conventional sources of energy
- Wind power
- Solar photovoltaic power
- LPG as clean fuel
- Biogas
- Compressed Natural Gas
- Road space rationing
- Energy poverty