Hydropower Revenue Estimator

Hydropower Revenue Estimator estimates the annual revenue from a hydropower plant based on power output, turbine efficiency, head height, operating days, and electricity prices, with a detailed breakdown and step-by-step calculations.

Power Output (W, e.g., 1000000 for 1 MW):

Turbine Efficiency (0 to 1, e.g., 0.9 for 90%):

Head Height (m, e.g., 100):

Operating Days per Year (e.g., 365):

Electricity Price (Offset, $/kWh, e.g., 0.12):

Export Price (Optional, $/kWh, e.g., 0.065):

Export Fraction (0 to 1, e.g., 0.5 for 50%):

Formulas Used in Hydro Power Revenue Estimator

The calculator uses the following formulas to estimate revenue from a hydropower plant:

Flow Rate:

\\[ Q = \frac{P}{\eta \cdot \rho \cdot g \cdot h} \\]

Where:

\$ P \$: Power output (W)
\$ \eta \$: Turbine efficiency (0 to 1)
\$ \rho \$: Density of water (1000 kg/m³)
\$ g \$: Gravitational acceleration (9.81 m/s²)
\$ h \$: Head height (m)
\$ Q \$: Flow rate (m³/s)

Annual Energy Production:

\\[ E = \frac{P}{1000} \cdot 24 \cdot D \\]

Where:

\$ E \$: Energy (kWh/year)
\$ P \$: Power output (W)
\$ D \$: Operating days per year

Annual Revenue:

\\[ R = E \cdot (r_{\text{offset}} + r_{\text{export}} \cdot f_{\text{export}}) \\]

Where:

\$ R \$: Revenue ($/year)
\$ E \$: Energy (kWh/year)
\$ r_{\text{offset}} \$: Electricity price for offset usage ($/kWh)
\$ r_{\text{export}} \$: Export price for surplus energy ($/kWh, optional)
\$ f_{\text{export}} \$: Fraction of energy exported (0 to 1)

Example Calculations

Example 1: Small-Scale Hydropower

Input: Power = 100,000 W (100 kW), Efficiency = 0.8, Head = 10 m, Days = 365, Offset Price = $0.15/kWh, Export Price = $0/kWh, Export Fraction = 0

\\[ Q = \frac{100000}{0.8 \cdot 1000 \cdot 9.81 \cdot 10} \approx 1.274 \ \text{m}^3/\text{s} \\] \\[ E = \frac{100000}{1000} \cdot 24 \cdot 365 = 876,000 \ \text{kWh/year} \\] \\[ R = 876000 \cdot (0.15 + 0 \cdot 0) = 131,400 \ \$/\text{year} \\]

Result: Flow Rate = 1.274 m³/s, Energy = 876,000 kWh/year, Revenue = $131,400/year

Example 2: Medium-Scale with Export

Input: Power = 1,000,000 W (1 MW), Efficiency = 0.9, Head = 50 m, Days = 200, Offset Price = $0.12/kWh, Export Price = $0.065/kWh, Export Fraction = 0.3

\\[ Q = \frac{1000000}{0.9 \cdot 1000 \cdot 9.81 \cdot 50} \approx 2.265 \ \text{m}^3/\text{s} \\] \\[ E = \frac{1000000}{1000} \cdot 24 \cdot 200 = 4,800,000 \ \text{kWh/year} \\] \\[ R = 4800000 \cdot (0.12 + 0.065 \cdot 0.3) = 669,600 \ \$/\text{year} \\]

Result: Flow Rate = 2.265 m³/s, Energy = 4,800,000 kWh/year, Revenue = $669,600/year

Example 3: Large-Scale Hydropower

Input: Power = 10,000,000 W (10 MW), Efficiency = 0.85, Head = 100 m, Days = 300, Offset Price = $0.08/kWh, Export Price = $0/kWh, Export Fraction = 0

\\[ Q = \frac{10000000}{0.85 \cdot 1000 \cdot 9.81 \cdot 100} \approx 11.992 \ \text{m}^3/\text{s} \\] \\[ E = \frac{10000000}{1000} \cdot 24 \cdot 300 = 72,000,000 \ \text{kWh/year} \\] \\[ R = 72000000 \cdot (0.08 + 0 \cdot 0) = 5,760,000 \ \$/\text{year} \\]

Result: Flow Rate = 11.992 m³/s, Energy = 72,000,000 kWh/year, Revenue = $5,760,000/year

Formulas Used in Hydro Power Revenue Estimator

Example Calculations

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