A study of an induction generator and its load controller for micro-hydroelectric plant

One major problem among the rural areas of the Philippines is the absence of electricity in their communities. This impedes the country in advancing towards becoming a newly industrialized country. The construction of micro-hydroelectric power plant is the most feasible solution to this problem. Water has been one of the cheapest resources available in the country due to its archipelagic geography. Aside from this, the cost involved is less expensive compared to the construction of other types of power plants, i.e. geothermal, fossil fueled or nuclear power plants. The main concept of a hydroelectric power plant is to harness energy from running water. This energy is to be converted into mechanical energy by hydraulic turbines. The mechanical energy generated will, in turn, be used in running the generators which produce the electricity. There are two types of generators the synchronous and induction generators. The study of the generator to be used in the micro-hydroelectric plant would be on induction generators. The preference for induction generators is based upon the following: 1. they are cheap and reliable 2. they are safe and less prone to overload 3. they have constant voltage and frequency. The main part of this study is in the design of an electronic controller for the micro-hydroelectric plant. The function of the controller is to maintain the power output of the generator to a specific range. To do this, a ballast would be used to compensate for the excess or unused power