Hydro - Local Production Capacity for Power Equipment, Tubes, Wiring etc.

Local production capacity
<please enter potential sources with contacts to your project>

Country	Turbine	Load Controller	construction planning	contact
Indonesia	yes	yes	yes	mhpp.org
Ethiopia	yes	-	-	AMES-E Awassa (gtz)

Manufacturers list -general- : www.microhydropower.net/directory/manufacturers.php

Local production watch-outs:
A lack of experience in planning can seriously endanger a projects success. After identifying potential sites, ensure at least experts crosscheck.
Planning (site suitability, civil construction, equipment dimensioning) is crucial. Only personal with practical experience will get you locally adapted solutions.

Site suitability: often flow and head are over rated. Ensure flow measures are done in dry season to avoid long idle periods when water-flow is insufficient. Distance between mhp-site and consumer defines length of power line => a crucial cost factor especially at smaller sites. Potential power output is naturally restricted.

Civil construction: civil engineers without PRACTICAL experience in "MINI hydro power" construction tend to overdo their planning. => too massive structures, too expensive. The terrain for mhp is usually remote (difficult quality control), steep, in danger of floods.
Hardware may be not available locally.

Local production of turbines is not easy and requires experience/time, commitment and failure resistance (project wise). As smaller the turbines as easier their creation in local workshops. As bigger and more costly  the sites as more crucial becomes the turbines efficiency. Turbines > 20 kW usually are sophisticated machinery.

Load-Controller are usually electronic equipment. Their transport is not expensive. Functionality and stability practically proven is a lengthy prosess. It's more likely to import than to develop them locally. If a local mhp-market will be developed the controller business will follow.
Pipes and gates are not mhp-specific and its production may already exist within the project area. Trash-rack design should be done carefully. Its manufacturing can be done easily at local workshops. Flanges have to operate under pressure but may be produced in suitable workshops. Valves are usually precision manufacturing and require sophisticated manufacturing.

Construction of civil structure may be done by local manpower and/or local companies. Control is required. At Civil constructions the strength of foundations and the cement-ratio must be checked during implementation!

Critical parts, often done wrong are: Sand-trap, spillway/flushgate, trash rack
Electrical Transmission installation is straight forward. In each country should be such knowledge available.
 
<link> good and bad
<link> handbook -  Valentin Schnitzer