Does hydropower growth threaten fish security under the pathway of sustainable development? Evidence from European Union economies

This research explores the impact of hydropower growth on fish supply in European Union Region nations from 1990 to 2019. Using the panel fully modified ordinary least squares, the outcome exhibits the reduced fish supply with the growth in hydropower production. Also, human population density and growth economics were found to be decreasing fish supply and their habitats. While institutional quality and expenditure were found to be increasing fish species and numbers, the finding implies that fish supply in the European Union Region could efficiently be minimized by boosting the quantity of hydropower production with operational procedures. This can ultimately add more burden on an already degraded natural resource and negative environmental impacts. The predicted outcomes are confirmed by dummy panel ordinary least squares and pooled ordinary least squares thus, thought to be valid. The research advised the European Union nations to develop the efficiency and productivity of hydropower in the energy mix to lessen the carbon dioxide releases. The authorities from these nations should further participate in the sustainability of hydropower industry growth by exploring the probability of the unified river managing structures to resolve conflicting economic, political, and ecological benefits. The government of the said nations can similarly stress the sustainability of the hydropower output to reach energy certainty and conservation of fish resources to achieve food security.

Moving toward sustainable environment: The effects of hydropower industry on water quality in EU economies

This research investigates the effect of hydropower yields on water quality in European Union participating nations from 1990 to 2019. Integrating the panel fully modified ordinary least squares, the outcomes show that water quality degradation increase with a rise in hydropower production growth. Similarly, fossil fuel, economic growth and population density are found to be increasing water resource pollution. While institutional quality is found to decrease water quality degradation and water resource pollution. The finding implies that water quality degradation in the EU27 region can be effectively increased by increasing the amount of hydropower production in sustainability procedures. This will increasingly influence the status of climate change. The evaluated outcomes are observed to be valid as they were authenticated with the panel dynamic ordinary least square and pooled ordinary least square. Therefore, it attests to the paper's uniqueness, input to the body of knowledge and novelty. The research suggests that for EU27 nations have to enhance the role of the hydropower industry in their energy mix to achieve Energy Union objectives taking into consideration the water resources pollution factor. Authorities in these nations must also focus more on investing in the growth of the hydropower industry to add more to its production and availability of renewable energy and decrease water quality degradation. The government of these nations can similarly stress the competence and sustainability of hydropower production and water resource conservation to reach energy security and reduce water quality degradation.

A Rationalised CFD Design Methodology for Turgo Turbines to Enable Local Manufacture in the Global South

In the Global South, pico- and micro-hydropower turbines are often made by local workshops. Despite several advantageous features, e.g., a high power density and capacity to handle silt, there is no commonly available Turgo turbine design appropriate for local manufacture. Technological developments including the internet, CAD, and additive manufacturing increase the opportunity to precisely transfer designs around the world. Consequently, design improvements can be shared digitally and used by manufacturers in their local context. In this paper, a rationalised CFD approach was used to guide simple design changes that improve the efficiency of a Turgo turbine blade. The typical manufacturing capacity of the micro-hydropower industry in Nepal was used to rationalise the variation of potential design changes. Using the geometry and operational parameters from an existing design as a benchmark, a two-blade, homogenous, multiphase model was developed and run using the commercial code ANSYS CFX. Initially, it was identified that the jet aim position had a significant effect on the efficiency. A design of experiments’ approach and subsequent analysis of numerical and visual results were used to make design changes that resulted in an improvement in efficiency from 69% to 81%. The design changes maintained the simple profile of the blade, ensuring that the resulting design was appropriate for manufacture in a local workshop.

Exploring the Transformation Mechanism of Ecological Value Realization by Property Right Trading of Rural hydropower

The transformation and upgrading of rural hydropower rely on the property right trading market, and the professional property right trading market serves as the foundation to truly transform lucid waters and lush mountains into mountains of gold and silver. The study believes that by using two means, namely, government regulation and market incentive, water resources can be turned into ecological hydropower resources to finally realize the economic value of green energy through the ecological value transforming mechanism. The transforming mechanism, impelled by green hydropower certification and evaluation and professional property right trading market, has realized the ecological values, which not only promotes the green development of the local economy, but also realizes the transformation and upgrading of the rural hydropower industry. With the hydropower property right trading center, the development of the hydropower industry has encountered historic opportunities. At present, it is necessary to strive to improve the corresponding system, mechanism and cultural environment of the trading center to achieve the predetermined goal, and further standardize and improve the transaction activities. There are in all three figures and three tables.

LOW-FREQUENCY ELECTROMECHANICAL VIBRATION CONVERTER BASED ON LEVITATION EFFECT

At present, one of the urgent problems in the energy and industry is to improve the reliability of the operation of various equipment. An effective method for increasing the reliability of equipment is diagnosing the state of machines and predicting their performance. Vibration control methods are widely used to diagnose rotary rotating machines. By the nature of the vibration process of the machine, it is possible to determine the degree of wear and, accordingly, the technical condition of the machines. In measuring technology for diagnostics of low-speed equipment with rotation frequencies of a unit of Hz, for example, hydroelectric generators of hydroelectric power plants, inertial electromechanical converters are used. The latest developments of such converters use an electromagnetic suspension with parametric feedback, which allows you to control the rigidity of the oscillatory system. However, for centering the moving part in electromechanical converters, flexible guides are used, which are sources of dry friction, which complicates the simulation of measurement processes and limits the sensitivity threshold to a minimum. In addition, flexible guides limit the frequency range of the converters. Currently, the most promising direction for solving this problem is the levitation effect, which allows you to completely exclude mechanical contact and, accordingly, reduce the sensitivity threshold of the transducer. From the analysis of literary sources, it follows that there are relatively few publications in this area. The proposed article provides an analysis of existing converters, on the basis of which a converter with improved characteristics, a measuring converter, is proposed. The proposed electromechanical converter has improved metrological characteristics and therefore can control and diagnose equipment in various fields of human activity. This problem is especially relevant in the hydropower industry.

Micro-Hydropower in Nepal: Analysing the Project Process to Understand Drivers that Strengthen and Weaken Sustainability

Evaluating the sustainable operation of community-owned and community-operated renewable energy projects is complex. The development of a project often depends on the actions of diverse stakeholders, including the government, industry and communities. Throughout the project cycle, these interrelated actions impact the sustainability of the project. In this paper, the typical project cycle of a micro-hydropower plant in Nepal is used to demonstrate that key events throughout the project cycle affect a plant’s ability to operate sustainably. Through a critical analysis of the available literature, policy and project documentation and interviews with manufacturers, drivers that affect the sustainability of plants are found. Examples include weak specification of civil components during tendering, quality control issues during manufacture, poor quality of construction and trained operators leaving their position. Opportunities to minimise both the occurrence and the severity of threats to sustainability are identified. For the micro-hydropower industry in Nepal, recommendations are made for specific actions by the relevant stakeholders at appropriate moments in the project cycle. More broadly, the findings demonstrate that the complex nature of developing community energy projects requires a holistic consideration of the complete project process.