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Micro Hydropower
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Areas of Expertise
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Small Scale Hydro Power
We are actively engaged in the planning, design and construction of numerous hydropower schemes in the scottish highlands. These projects are often in environmentally sensitive areas and require extreme care in design and construction. Their size ranges from 50kW to 1 MW or more.
Hydro Power is increasingly seen as a means of generating a sustainable income from farms and rural estates that otherwise struggle to remain economically viable. Almost all estates in the highlands have some potential for a hydro scheme.
Hydro Power installations are for the most part invisible, as the pipes are normally buried underground. They require a small intake weir on a burn or river, and a small building to house the turbine and generator. Some sites are suitable for a small dam and reservoir, which can increase the energy output by storing flood water and releasing it when required.
We can carry out initial appraisals very rapidly, to assess the potential power yield of small rivers and streams. If a realistic potential is identified, the follow-up process involves environmental and hydrological studies, economic analysis and engineering design of dams, pipelines and associated structures.
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Coignafearn Hydro Power Scheme
Coignafearn Hydro Power Scheme under construction in the Scottish Highlands.
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Achnacree Hydro Power Scheme
Achnacree Hydro Power Scheme in the Scottish Highlands shown under construction through to completion. This is a 100 kW scheme built in 2011 utilising an existing arch gravity dam. The penstock is a 500mm diameter HDPE pipe 850m long. Head 65m. Turbine is a Gilkes Turgo.
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Barguillean Hydro Power Scheme
Barguillean Hydro Power Scheme under construction in the Scottish Highlands. This is a 100kW scheme built in 2011. It takes water from three small mountain streams, combining into a single 315mm diameter penstock under a head of 200m. Turbine is a Tepersac Pelton.
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Laggan Hydro Power Scheme
Laggan Hydro Power Scheme under construction in the Scottish Highlands. This is a 100kW scheme built in 2011. It has four separate intakes on small mountain streams, feeding a Tepersac Pelton turbine under a head of 130m. Situated in the Loch Lomond National Park, the scheme had to meet stringent environmental and visual impact criteria.
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Glencreran Hydro Power Scheme
This is a 100 kW scheme under construction and scheduled for completion in early 2012. It has a single weir intake feeding a 500mm diameter penstock at a head of 65m. It will be equipped with a Tinck 4-jet vertical axis Pelton turbine.
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