Hydropower is power obtained from the force of fast running water or falling water, which may be harnessed for various useful purposes. The global market for hydropower is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years as it does not emit greenhouse gas and/or any toxic waste.
Like other techniques of electricity generation, hydropower utilizes a turbine for generating electricity; using the flowing or falling water’s energy to spin the blades. These rotating blades spin a generator to convert the spinning turbine’s mechanical energy into electrical energy. The quantity of the electricity generated from these power plants is based on the quantity of the flowing or falling water and the altitude from which it falls. Modern technologies such as drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), phone applications, etc. are offering new ways and opportunities for hydropower project owners & operators.
Drones for Dam Safety:
Drones use a technology that is easily identifiable to the common people. Two of the most popular drone configurations include fixed- & rotary-wing aircrafts. The usage of drones for dam inspection is an emerging trend in the global industry. As drone systems offer excellent safety, as well as cost-effectiveness, thus using these systems is a better option than employing inspectors.
Expanding the applications of CFD Modeling:
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling is not new, but its uses for hydroelectric power have been increasing since the last few years. The benefits of using CFD modeling for this particular application are a good interface & calculation speed and model stability.
Infrastructure Maintenance with Scanning Sonar Systems:
This technology has a number of survey & inspection applications for various water resource projects. Commercially available scanning sonar systems utilize the technology that has been adapted by the hydropower market in its quest for maintaining aging hydro-related infrastructure. In such case, the data needed from sonar systems include collection efficiency & accuracy of geographic position, quality measures, etc. Although sonar imaging won’t replace the needs for inspection by divers, the usage of this technology may decrease the duration or number of dive inspections by recognizing the areas of concern and aiming the dive inspections at those particular areas.
Market Insights:
The global hydropower market is expected to witness tremendous growth over the coming years. Cost benefits offered by this technology and the substitution of the fossil fuel-based power generation for reduced CO2 emissions are anticipated to augment the market demands in near future. Some of the major players in this market include Alstom Hydro; ABB Ltd; and Andritz AG.
In-Depth research report on hydropower market:
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