Feasibility analysis for conversion of existing traditional watermills in Western Himalayan region of India to micro-hydropower plants using a low head Archimedes screw turbine for rural electrification
Kamal Kashyap, Robin Thakur, Raj Kumar, Sunil Kumar
Abstract
Traditional watermills are being used by the people of hilly terrains of Western Himalayan region from centuries for grinding grains. Using these watermills for generating electricity could be an effective and sustainable solution to fulfil the energy needs of this region. Through the survey based on the data collected on 76 different locations, Operational Potential as well as the Willingness of the Gharats (watermills) Owners towards installing the turbine was analysed and considered as a factor towards analysing the feasibility of such setup. The research concludes that it is quite feasible and cost-effective to use the existing Watermills for electricity generation through Archimedes Screw Turbine.