ENERGY

Microhydel Power Generation in Karnataka

Karnataka's power needs are supplied almost exclusively by hydroelectricity. large hydroelectric plants are normally sited in places where the impounded flow and available head are of sufficient magnitude to make the power economically attractive. There are however, innumerable other sources of hydroenergy of smaller magnitude. Two important sources of minihydro power in Karnataka are the drops present in the extensive irrigation system and the seasonal and perennial streams in the Western Ghats. These two sources provide the possibility of decentralised power supply. These additional sources were considered uneconomical from the point of view of exploitation for general purposes, except in the case of remote communities or estates where the cost of distribution from a central grid would be prohibitive. With the increase in the cost of energy, resulting from the oil crisis, it has become worthwhile to pursue the possibility of utilising the smaller hitherto neglected hydroelectric resources.

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