Non conventional hydro is a term that refers to the small scale, grid connected hydro resources that were not tapped conventionally.
The past 15 years have seen a growth in the non-conventional renewable energy industry, while the capacity additions surpass 180 MW of grid power, generating more than 4% of the total generation. Most of these capacity additions are attributed to the growth in the SHP sector. The following chart depicts the cumulative capacity additions from 1996 to 2009.
The major hydro schemes have been exhausted to the maximum potential. Refer the following chart, it is evident that there is no increase in the installed capacity of major hydro since the early 1990’s. Today, continuing increase in the level of electrification and industrial and commercial development is increasing the demand on electricity, whilst the exploitable major hydropower remaining static.
Cumulative growth in non-conventional renewable energy from 1996 – 2010
