EnergyBig data technology helps identify best river locations for hydro-power generation
A new technology has the potential to revolutionize the sourcing of renewable energy from rivers. The software app automatically selects appropriate locations in U.K. rivers to site a large range of micro renewable hydro-power turbines in these rivers, and determines the environmental sensitivity of the location.
A technology in development with the University of Leicester has the potential to revolutionize the sourcing of renewable energy from rivers. The software app, developed collaboratively by the University of Leicester and High Efficiency Heating UK Ltd., automatically selects appropriate locations in U.K. rivers to site a large range of micro renewable hydro-power turbines in these rivers and determines the environmental sensitivity of the location.
This innovative prototype software saves thousands of pounds in initial survey costs: saves time and paper work, by making use of free publicly available data sourced from satellites to pinpoint the best locations in Britain’s rivers for sourcing energy.
A University of Leicester release reports that the news comes as the University of Leicester showcased its partnerships with industry at the first Innovate UK-funded Venturefest, held in the East Midlands at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, yesterday (Tuesday, 14 April).
Experts claim the new technology has the power to shake up the micro hydropower industry.
The idea was the brainchild of a small renewable energy company based in Greater Manchester — High Efficiency Heating UK Ltd. Andy Baxter, managing director of High Efficiency Heating, turned to the team at the University of Leicester to utilize their expertise in Big Data processing using data obtained from satellite and aircraft-based earth observation, following an initial meeting with the team at G-STEP, the University of Leicester’s SME support program (part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund).
Baxter said: “We had the idea of creating a tool that would radically change the way that hydropower opportunities are identified, and then qualified as ‘viable.’ If we could do this, it would be a truly market-disruptive development.”
The project was funded by a grant from Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board) for an initial 10-month feasibility project called ISMORTASED (Identification of Sites for Micro-hydropower on Rivers through Applied Satellite and Environmental Data). Work focused on the River Tame to the East of Manchester and yielded multiple solutions for selected turbine specifications along much of the river. The tool makes use of a proliferation of free national-scale data sets collected by various governmental organizations.
