Hydropower plants are currently the largest producers of renewable electrical energy in the world. Their greatest advantage is that they do not pollute the environment once they are operational. However, the challenge lies in their integration into the environment, which necessitates various calculations and analyses before such a facility can commence construction.
The purpose of this dissertation is to examine, using the example of a potential hydropower plant that could be situated on the Mura River, the production of electrical energy based on the type and number of turbines, as well as the regulation of upper and lower water levels. Through such an analysis, the aim is to ensure that the power plant can operate under the most optimal conditions and contribute to the economic justification of its construction. I analysed the impact of these factors on electrical energy production and determined operational schedules for individual turbines for the potential hydropower plant on the Mura River.
For this purpose, I utilized the Excel software environment, which offers the capability to compute the production of electrical energy for both run-of-the-river and run-of-the-river with storage hydropower plants with various types and numbers of turbines, different drops in water levels, and diverse reservoir sizes. The calculations are based on hourly flow rates between the years 2018 and 2019. The results indicate diverse electrical energy production and average power output depending on the selected power plant parameters, presented in tables and graphical representations.
Based on the analysis of the results, I concluded that from an electrical perspective, constructing a run-of-the-river hydropower plant with 3 units equipped with Kaplan turbines is the most financially viable option. With a greater number of turbines, additional benefits in flow regulation through the turbines could be obtained, although the calculations were designed to analyse a maximum of three turbines.
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