Title	Micro Hydropower Units for small villages in Ladakh, Northern India
Project Type	Infrastructure oriented project, education
Swiss Partner	FHNW Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, Muttenz, Peter Gonsowski, Dieter Mutz, Christian Ardüser, Leif Karcheter
Technology	Small hydropower
Description	In Ladakh, 50 small hydropower stations in the range of 5 to 35 kW have been installed over the last 20 years. A diploma thesis has recently shown that the efficiency of already existing and newly planned hydropower plants could be improved considerably through optimized design and operation. The existing plants have, for the most part, not been equipped with the necessary constructions for exiting water flow and with sedimentation basins, which leads to frequent standstills at the power plants and a negative image of hydropower. Therefore planning, design, construction and operation of small hydropower stations shall be improved in an exemplary manner. In a first phase, the project includes the construction of a pilot power plant as well as the writing of a planning, construction and operation manual for local hydropower specialists. In a second phase, another power plant shall be constructed, applying the acquired know-how and experiences.
Country	India (Ladakh District)
Swiss Contribution	A broad know-how in hydro power has been built up in Switzerland over many years. Additionally the FHNW possesses a hydropower lab where flow tests can be conducted.
Website	www.fhnw.ch
Project State	completed
Documentation	Final report (german, 7.7 MB pdf), Handbook (english, 11.5 MB pdf)
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