A technology in development with the University of Leicester has the potential to revolutionise the sourcing of renewable energy from rivers.

A software app developed collaboratively by the University of Leicester and High Efficiency Heating UK Ltd. automatically selects appropriate locations in UK rivers to site a large range of micro renewable hydro-power turbines in UK rivers and determines the environmental sensitivity of the location.

The innovative prototype software saves thousands of pounds in initial survey costs: saves time and paper work, by making use of free publicly available data sourced from satellites to pinpoint the best locations in Britain’s rivers for sourcing energy.

The idea was the brainchild of Manchester-based High Efficiency Heating UK Ltd, a small renewable energy company.

Andy Baxter, MD of High Efficiency Heating, turned to the team at the University of Leicester to utilise their expertise in “Big Data” processing using data obtained from satellite and aircraft-based earth observation.

Andy Baxter said:

“We had the idea of creating a tool that would radically change the way that hydropower opportunities are identified, and then qualified as "viable". If we could do this, it would be a truly market-disruptive development.”

The project was funded by a grant from Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board) for an initial 10-month feasibility project ISMORTASED (Identification of Sites for Micro-hydropower On Rivers Through Applied Satellite and Environmental Data). Work focused on the River Tame to the East of Manchester and yielded multiple solutions for selected turbine specifications along much of the river. The tool makes use of a proliferation of free national-scale data sets collected by various Governmental organisations.

The image shows the results of ISMORTASED displayed in Google Earth© for a short stretch of the River Tame in E. Manchester. Clicking on the river shows the user information about the environmental considerations of this point on the river and estimated costs of installing and managing a hydro-power system.

 Dr Kevin Tansey, Reader in Remote Sensing and Principal Investigator at the University of Leicester commented:

 “This tool pulls in collections of almost 30 national scale data sets that are available at no cost. We use Geographical Information Systems (GIS) tools to overlay these different information layers, including a high resolution digital elevation model from the Environment Agency to estimate slope downstream.

 “We are delighted with the results. We carried out field tests on the River Tame to the east of Manchester in October 2014 and can honestly say that this tool does exactly what it says on the tin.  We have built a very visual and interactive user interface in Google Earth to show the multiple solutions on offer at various locations and their cost. We can process the data in the office, or standing on the doorstep of a land owner or turbine manufacturer. We can run the tool to show potential locations nationally on any stretch of river.”

The team is also talking to organisations overseas to see how the tool can be developed for international markets, especially in developing countries.”

 Mr Martyn Cowsill, project consultant at Fluvial Bounty CIC, said

 “During our work, we uncovered several significant market opportunities and, more to our surprise, some innovative ways of exploiting the energy potential even in small rivers, especially those which run through urban areas.”

“We could be talking about thousands of inexpensive 10kW - 20kW turbines, installed on urban rivers, close to the point of use, close to points of trouble-free connectivity to the grid, producing electricity during times of peak demand.”

The ISMORTASED team point to the many long-term benefits of their work. Andy Baxter said:

“We hope that the widespread proliferation of "run-of-river" micro hydropower will help provide a solution to issues of grid balancing by combining electricity storage with a reliable and constant energy source.  Hydropower through ISMORTASED provides half of the solution as it will provide a stable, green, constant and predictable supply of power in the next few years, unlike energy from wind and solar which are too erratic. ISMORTASED offers a good and efficient route offering both upstream and downstream commercial opportunities.”

Mr Cowsill added:

 “ISMORTASED will enable manufacturers to mass produce hydro equipment, rather than manufacturing  individual  bespoke hydro turbines.”

The team are currently seeking further funding from a range of potential investors to undertake a more robust national-scale validation campaign and develop a number of case studies.

For further information ontact Dr Kevin Tansey; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0116 252 3859, 07770 748990