We would like to start our HydroKares blog by presenting a win-win solution where a small hydropower plant has been erected in a protected area in the Adamello Regional Park in the Italian Alps, region of Lombardy. This example demonstrates a compromise made by producing electricity fromsmall hydropower with minimum impact to the environment.

The area of the Adamello Natural Park is rich with water located on the highest elevation of the mountain (above 3000 m a. s. l.), of the most extended glacier of the Italian Alps. This glacier, with an extension of over 15 km2 and a thickness of over 100 m at certain points, represents a natural reserve of a great amount of water which is important when determining the climate of the area. There is abundant rainfall (over 1500 mm/year average) which is well distributed over the year, with a good presence of snow. Such conditions are very favourable for the use of water for industrial and energy production purposes.

Two considerations need to be taken into account when deciding on the use of water for electricity production in such an area:

·      the need for nature preservation and the need for preservation of the free-flowing water in particular;

·      the possibility to use only small basins, due to the fact that the water is already used by other projects.

The Rino small hydropower project was carried out with the aim to make the plant compatible with the existing natural and anthropologic environment, believing that it was impossible and expensive to solve the environmental problems only in the erection phase. (More detailed technical information available from ESHA).

Building a small hydropower plant in a natural park or, in an area of great environmental value, implies having to cope with some constraints which can be overcome by means of suitable technologies. Some innovative solutions are needed as the extra cost for the maximum protection of the environment can nullify the project revenue.

With the Rino plant, the annual production loss implies a loss of income of 480.000 MLit/year, that capitalised during 30 years with a rate of 10% leads to 4.500 MLit, 1.900 MLit of which for the reserved flow and 2.600 MLit for accidental cause, related only to the plant taken into consideration.

Therefore, it is very evident that the real problem of building a small hydroelectric plant in a protected area is not of adopting correct technologies from the environmental point of view, but to assure that the amount of energy production is enough to grant the right equity to an investment which also has great positive impact on the environment, as the plant is small.

In the table below you can see the effect on emissions-avoidance of the Rino hydroelectric plant:

Authors:

Vittorio Ducoli                                                                                                            

Director of “Parco Nazionale                                                                                 

delle Colline Casentinesi”

Nino Frosio                                                                                                                  

Technical Director of

Studio Frosio