Småskalig vattenkraft
Dagsläge och framtidsplaner
Small scale hydropowerEnergyEnergy efficiencyRenewable energySurveyFish wayEconomicsEntrepreneurshipSmåskalig vattenkraftEnergibranschenEnergisystemFörnybar energiEnkätundersökningFiskvägEkonomiEntreprenörskap
This study focuses on small scale hydropower in Sweden. This means plants with a capacity of up to 10 MW. The study has a special focus on plants with a capacity up to 2 MW. The study has three aims. It strives to describe the small-scale hydroelectric industry in Sweden. It lists some of the challenges of positive and negative character that owners of small hydro are facing today. The last is to find out the owners' plans for their business for the future.The basis for the analysis is a literature review, visits to hydropower plants and interviews with owners and a questionnaire. The questionnaire was answered in the spring of 2011. 128 hydropower owners with together 165 plants participated. This represents about 9 % of the total amount of small scale hydropower plants. The owners rank economy, new environmental ruling, requirements for fish ways and lack of time as the biggest challenges. The owners' concern about the new environmental ruling ispreceded by a debate on the subject in which some County Boards (Länsstyrelser) raised theissue. 38 % of plants in the survey have fish ways and another 7 % plan to get it in within a period of 10 years.Small hydropower produces about 4.3 TWh per year. Calculations made on the respondents' answers show that 80% of plants have the potential to increase its effect. 55% plan to do so within 10 years. If the plants in the survey are representative for the industry as a whole, small scale hydropower in the range of 0 - 2 MW, has a potential to increase its production by 6.1 TWh per year.