Plenary Lecture

Pico Hidro: Clean Power Production from Small Streams

Professor Kamaruzzaman Sopian
Solar Energy Research Institute
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 Bangi Selangor
Malaysia
Email: ksopian@eng.ukm.my

Abstract: Running the generator and use of battery to light up the house are common to rural folks. The difficulty of getting the fuel and the cost of fuel are the main problem. Use of other alternative renewable energy such as solar photovoltaic modules, which is avaible for a number of hours per day, is very costly. It is required to find suitable option to provide cheap and reliable option. While large hydropower provides electrical power for industry and domestic use, small-scale hydro is making some contributions toward providing this basic need to remote and off-grid areas especially in developing countries. This paper is focusing on pico hydro, a run-of-river application which does not require dam or reservoir for water storage. It is cost effective, environmentally friendly and the turbine can be manufactured locally. Several applications in developing countries are highlighted. Small-scale hydro turbines are reviewed and their applications at power production environment. Finally, the paper also discusses the efforts made by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia to promote this technology for rural electrification program.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Kamaruzzaman Bin Sopian obtained his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1985, MSc in Energy Resources from the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 and PhD. in Mechanical Engineering from the Dorgan Solar Laboratory, University of Miami in 1997. He is presently the Professor in Renewable Energy at the Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Currently, he is the Director of the Solar Energy Research Institute, a center of excellence for the research and development in solar energy technology. He has been involved in the field of solar energy for more than twenty years. His main contributions are in solar radiation modeling, alternative material for solar absorber, solar water heating system with integrated storage system, solar desalination, solar cooling, daylighting using solar light pipes, solar assisted drying systems, grid-connected photovoltaic system, thin film silicon solar cells, combined photovoltaic thermal or hybrid collector and solar hydrogen production system.
He has published over 400 research papers in journals and conferences. He has delivered keynotes speeches at national and international conferences on renewable energy. He is the founding member of the Malaysian Institute of Energy, member of the World Renewable Energy Network based in the United Kingdom and is an associate editor of the Renewable Energy published by Elsevier Ltd. He heads several national subcommittees on renewable energy by the Malaysian government to promote awareness, market enhancement, policy studies and the applications renewable energy.