All inland navigations involve the movement and control of water, sometimes in large quantities. Good design ensures that most of this water moves downhill by gravity but some inevitably must be pumped up hill to satisfy navigation needs.
The current desire to maximise the supply of green renewable energy and minimise operational expenditure has focused waterway managements to look at the potential use of the flowing water to generate electricity to increase revenues, reduce operational expenditure and lower the impact of inland navigation on climate change
Investing in hydro power does not come cheap but some waterway managers have been innovative in the way that they have implement schemes. This has required the skilful combination of technology for
existing types and models of hydro turbines and generators
control schemes integrated within existing navigation water control systems
integration within existing structures on the navigation including the use of redundant structures
dual use of the hydro scheme to both produce energy and pump water as required
Perhaps the biggest design consideration and biggest challenge in developing a hydro power scheme on an inland navigation is environmental. The protection from harm of fish is vitally important; they must either be excluded from entering the turbine or be able to pass through the turbine without harm.
This leads to the development of fish friendly turbines and fish friendly intake screens, screen cleaners and other devices to prevent fish entering the turbine.
Where a navigation passes through a watershed and links two originally separate river system together, any dual use hydro scheme that pumps as well as generates must not cause and detrimental transportation of plants or animals across the watershed to the satisfaction of the applicable environmental regulations.
The paper present examples of fish friendly technology both for fish passing through a turbine and for the means to exclude fish from entering a turbine.