Catching every last drop

Green generation

In another project, the Guanyinyan Hydropower Station, located on the main channel of the Wuyang River in Shibing county, has also benefited. It has set a benchmark in enhancing the utilization of hydropower resources and restoring river ecology with the installation of cutting-edge ecological-flow turbines.

Ecological flow refers to the minimum water flow required to sustain or restore the fundamental structure and function of river ecosystems. Located at the largest reservoir by capacity in Guizhou province, the Guanyinyan Hydropower Station previously released ecological flows directly through the dam's sluice gates or bottom outlets.

However, this approach often resulted in damage to the gates due to prolonged impact, leading to economic losses. Moreover, substantial volumes of water bypassed the turbines, squandering potential electricity generation.

In 2021, an investment of 15 million yuan was made in the station to install a 2,000-kilowatt eco-turbine. This allows for the concurrent generation of electricity while releasing 4.75 cubic meters of ecological flow per second into the river.

The process involves channeling water through the eco-turbine to generate electricity before it enters the river, thus ensuring both ecological and economic gains. This method has resulted in nearly 20,000 yuan in additional daily revenue compared to the previous system of opening the sluice gates.

Long Guangquan, manager of the Shibing branch of Qianshui electric power company, said the new turbine has made life a lot easier.

"The previous turbines required a flow of 17 cubic meters per second to generate electricity, which was only feasible during the flood season," Long said. "During low-water periods, maintaining ecological flow meant we couldn't continuously store water for power generation, making operations challenging."

With the introduction of the eco-turbines, electricity can be generated through ecological flows, which contributed a production value of 6.02 million yuan in 2023 while maintaining essential ecological flow. The Guanyinyan Hydropower Station has been designated as a "Green Small Hydropower Demonstration Station" by the Ministry of Water Resources.

xunuo@chinadaily.com.cn