“Hydroelectric power generated during this period accounted for 13% of total 110,000 GWh,” ISNA quoted Farbod Estiri as saying.
If the same volume of power was generated by thermal stations, close to 4 billion cubic meters of gas would have been consumed, he added.
“With 14,500 GWh output hydropower stations helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 9 million tons in the six months.”
Electricity generation is designed according to projected water conditions, and increase or decrease depends directly on water levels in dams, Estiri noted.
As such, when rainfall and water levels in dams decline, hydroelectric power production is adversely affected.
Less Water in Tehran Dams
Referring to water flow into dams around Tehran between March and September (1.9 billion cubic meters), he said it has plunged by at least 15% compared to the same period in 2019.
Amirkabir Hydroelectric Power Plant near Amirkabir Dam has two 45 MW units, Taleqan Power Station next to Taleqan Dam has two 8.9 MW units, Latyan Plant close to Latyan Dam has 22.5 MW units and Kalan Power Station adjacent to Lar Dam is home to three 38.5 MW units.
Total capacity of dams in Iran is 50 billion ccubic meters and so far less than half are full.
Hydropower constitutes roughly 12,000 MW of the total installed generation capacity of 68,000 MW and plays a key role during outages by quickly restoring supply and supporting other plants (mostly thermal).
In related news, ISNA quoted Jalaleddin Hojjati, deputy for operation affairs at Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company, as saying that engineers have indigenized one more key equipment used in hydroelectric plants.
The automatic voltage regulator (AVR) -- one of the main components in the hydroelectric industry -- is now manufactured by domestic companies.
AVR is used to regulate voltage. It switches fluctuating voltage into stable power.
“A few years ago, turbine governor, another major part in power stations, was indigenized and is used at the Sardasht hydropower station (West Azerbaijan Province) and Daryan hydropower plants (Kermanshah Province).”
Known as the ‘heart’ of a power plant, the turbine governor ensures stable and efficient operation of a unit under versatile hydraulic conditions.
Global hydropower installed capacity reached 1,308 gigawatts in 2019 after 50 countries and territories completed greenfield and upgrade projects, according to the 2020 Hydropower Status Report.
It said 15.6 GW was added in 2019, down from 21.8 GW in 2018. China topped the list with 8,540 megawatts, Brazil (3,866 MW), Pakistan (2,487 MW), Turkey (1,085 MW), Angola (668 MW), Tajikistan (605 MW), Ecuador (556 MW), India (535 MW), Norway (419 MW) and Canada (401 MW).
Hydropower is produced in 150 countries. The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source of renewable energy.