Micro-hydro power system

This chapter talks about micro-hydro power (MHP) system and its application to rural communities. At the beginning of the chapter, the problems associated with rural communities’ inaccessibility are discussed, followed by fundamental concepts of MHP system. Although it is important to understand the fundamental concepts of MHP, this chapter only provides basic technical concepts and focuses more on its application in the rural communities. Given that MHP is a good alternative source of energy for off-grid rural communities, discussion on the social, environmental, and economic impacts is also included. Aside from the discussions on the application of MHP to rural communities, this chapter also includes a detailed case study of building a real MHP system in a rural community in the Philippines. Through the case study, the problems and challenges in the implementation of MHP systems are elaborated.© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG