End-to-end solutions for

small hydro power plants

Improving your plants performance, safety, and efficiency

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Schneider Electric,
a trusted partner for
integrated hydro solutions

Hydro Power
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Easing the energy crisis with

efficient hydro power
Integrated, flexible architecture for all your
generation installations

As regulators impose clean electricity targets from sustainable generation, electricity producers
focus on stable renewables such as hydro power. As the most widely used
energy source available today and with power plants ranging from less than one to
more than 100 megawatts, hydro production is considered as a flexible and reliable mainstream
renewable source.

Improving the performance of small

hydro plants

Flexible, efficient solutions with

higher availability

Between those two extremes is the small

power plant, which ranges from 1 to 30
megawatts. Operators of these plants are
constantly striving to improve performance
and to guarantee security for both plant
processes and the people working there,
but additionally they need to:

Schneider Electric offers precisely that:

a complete power and control solution
for hydro power plants, built to enable
higher availability as well as multi-site
management, remote maintenance
and diagnostics.

Minimise system failures and

ensure high availability
Maintain the right levels of
power quality
Reduce their investment and
operating costs

Meanwhile, improving operational energy
efficiency and reducing the environmental
impacts are also important considerations.
What plant operators really need is an
integrated solution that reliably and
consistently addresses all of their concerns.

million GWh

The amount of
power projected
to be generated
by renewable
energy in 2035.

We provide solutions specifically tailored to

the specific needs of all hydro power plants,
whatever their size, ensuring that each is:
Scaleable and modular
Flexible and based on
world-class products
Easy to use, integrate, operate,
and maintain
Built to enable high availability

The expected
annual increase
in total energy
generation from
renewable sources.

Hydro Power Generation 03

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Increase your facilitys power production,

reliability, and efficiency
The Schneider Electric solution, combining
electrical distribution, grid connection and plant
supervision, meets the requirements of local
control systems and remote management. It
promotes maximum productivity, facilitating
control and maintenance by delivering greater
operational safety.

Our small hydro power plant solution:

Combines all hydroelectric control into
one system
Uses scaleable systems to reduce cost
Integrates with protection and regulation
systems as well as control centers
Uses control systems based on
current standards
Our goal is increase your facilitys power
production, reliability and efficiency,
all while reducing both your operation
and capital costs. In fact, your initial investment
costs can be reduced by
up to 20%, and you can realize a reduction
in maintenance costs of up to 30%, thanks
in part to fast project development and the
benefit of our extensive experience.

Small hydro power plant

1 to 30 MW

On-demand production
according to peaks in
consumption or the
hydraulic power available
Easy to integrate,
implement and maintain
Fully integrated Power
& Control solution
Optimised management
across multiple sites

Micro hydro power plant

< 1 MW
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Large hydro power plant

> 30 MW

Hydro Power Generation 05

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A complete solution for powering and

managing small hydro power plants
We offer complete management and control of the generation process, including:
Turbine control (one or more turbine-generator groups), featuring start/stop sequence, speed
regulation, and security alarms
Generator control, synchronisation, protection and voltage regulation
Control of auxiliary equipment: dams, penstocks, valves, gates
Water resource management
Network connection and power monitoring
Supervision and control, including local and remote stations for multi-plant management.

Protection and grid connection

Substation to grid

Medium voltage (MV) switchgear

Dry- or oil-type transformer

Masterpact circuit breaker

Capacitor bank

Motor starters (integral)

GPU DEIF

Fare meter - ION 8600

Compact NS circuit breaker

Tesys U motor starter

7
1
2
3
8

4
5

10 SCADA system (Vijeo Citect )

11

Kwh

Kwh

Modicon M340 PLC

12 Magelis HMI

14 MiCOM protection relay

Auxiliary pumps

V
Regulator

13 PCX Prosoft gateway

Voltage regulator

15 SEPAM protection relay

16 Modicon Advantys Remote I/O STB

Speed governor

06 Hydro Power Generation

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Remote control and supervision

10
SCADA system
(Vijeo Citect)

IEC60870-5-104 / DNP3 Net/ Modbus TCP

Process control room

PLC Group 1
11

PLC Group n
11

General control
13

11

12

Dam and
gate control

IEC 61850
Plant substation
14
15

16
Flood gates, valves,
temperature

Generator, transformer &

feeder protection relays

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Improved turbine-generator
unit performance

Complete control and supervision functions to increase both

safety and efficiency
Process control

Our architecture
improves your
management
capabilities,
enabling you to:
Maximise electrical
energy revenues
Manage your
sites resources to
assure production
availability
Avoid any
environmental
impact

Optimised turbine-generator unit management is critical to any small hydro power plant. With it,
you can increase the efficiency of your site and generate the maximum amount of energy during
peak demand.

Helping protect your people and

your plant
From simple operator control and monitoring
to user-friendly interfaces, including process
performance data, our customised solutions
are aimed at providing you with improved
reliability and optimised safety.
Additionally, by achieving superior generation
efficiency while maintaining appropriate and
stable quality levels, generation functions are
guaranteed to be smooth, seamlessly helping
to protect your power plant against any
incidents.

Main turbine-generator functions

Start and stop sequences,
local or remote control
Operational control (stable
water levels and power supply)
Electrical and mechanical
fault detection
Measurement and metering of
generated output
Generator protection and
measurement including:
> Protection relays from Schneider Electric
SEPAM or MiCOM ranges
> Reactive power control
> Turbine speed control and phase
synchronisation relays

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Driving performance with simplicity

and integrated functions

The Modicon M340 from Schneider Electric PlantStruxure architecture

Process control

As part of PlantStruxure architecture,

our Modicon programmable automation
controllers (PACs) are far more than a PLC
and are built to suit the specific needs of the
hydro power industry. Modicon M340 can
be used individually, but is also the perfect
companion of both Modicon Premium and
Modicon Quantum, increasing the quality and
profitability of power generation processes and
overall plant performance.

An adaptable architecture with

multi-unit control
Small hydro power plants are equipped
with several turbine-generator units, which
are not all the same. Taking this into account,
Modicon M340 architecture allows specific
control of each turbine-generator unit,
thus ensuring the turbine speed is
managed efficiently according to the
turbine power curve.

Increase your availability with

advanced PLCs

The Modicon M340 is compact, flexible,

and well-suited to harsh environments,
allowing incident-free operations between
-40C and +70C. With a high degree of
reliability and stability, these PLCs offer
remarkable calculation and permutation
performance, and are always ready to take
control with total transparency.

PlantStruxure solutions give hydro

power plants the efficiency they
deserve, by:
Providing a high availability architecture
that reduces the amount of unplanned
downtime in your process
Integrating production data with other
business systems to improve your
production scheduling
Reducing engineering, operating and
maintenance costs
Delivering real-time business information
and ensures that you have access to your
process and production data, anytime and
anywhere

Modicon Premium or Quantum PLCs are

perfectly adapted for hot standby architecture
and can bring increased performance to
complex applications.

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Optimise your hydro

resources to achieve
up to 20% more
electricity output.

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Open, exible architecture for

managing multiple sites

A reliable SCADA system with Schneider Electric PlantStruxure

architecture that improves operational reliability
Remote control and supervision

Because plant operators need both

central and remote management of
different hydro power plants, our SCADA
system is completely capable of supervising
multiple remote stations and minimising
process downtime.
Using a redundant server, clients and
communication, we provide intelligent
integration with the existing information
system, including the data archive,
historical trends, reports, and alarms.
Additionally, our management solution:

Is multi-level and easy to configure

Enables real-time remote monitoring
Seamlessly incorporates third-party
software
Is flexible and scaleable for
future development
Conguration and maintenance of the system
is both simple and secure, reducing your
operational expenses and providing greater
visibility into your multi-site network.

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Securing the grid connection,

supplying efficient power
Innovative electrical distribution and protection
for small hydro plants

Protection and grid connection

The fact that they are specifically designed to

work together ensures optimised continuity of
service as well as a fast and easy installation.
Always adapted to meet local standards,
the integrated solution features reliable,
best-in-class equipment, including:

To connect the installation to the MV network

and supply power to the plant auxiliaries,
we provide a complete electrical distribution
solution, from LV switchboards to MV cubicles
and step-up transformers.

MV switchgear, including both GIS

and AIS for installations of any size
Motor control centers with unrivalled
performance, high reliability and low
maintenance
Proven reliability of APC by Schneider
Electric uninterruptible power
supplies (UPSs)
SEPAM and and MiCOM range advanced
generator protection
Thanks to standardisation, you can realise a
shorter ROI, while the innovative architecture
ensures the high availability necessary to
ensure security of supply.

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Modular, scaleable, end-to-end

complementary solutions

Access control, fire protection, and security

for your installation

Plant/site security

Hydro power plants require considerable safety

and security measures from preventing
equipment damage and intrusions to avoiding
unplanned downtime. At the same time, you
also have to ensure safety for employees
in terms of operational hazards and fire
protection.

Our comprehensive solutions enable you to

benefit from a one-stop-shop for your security
needs, from alarm control to the latest in video
surveillance, including:
High performance CCTV
Video monitoring, motion detection,
and intrusion access control

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Peace of mind throughout your

installations life cycle
Electrical distribution installed base services
with a global reach

End to end services

Maintenance
Services
Contracts

Installation
Assessment

When it comes to your

electrical distribution
installation, we can
help you:

End of Life

Installation &
Commissioning

Technical Training

Modernisation

I ncrease productivity,
reliability, and safety
M
 itigate risk and
limit downtime
K
 eep equipment up
to date and extend
its lifespan
C
 ut costs and
increase savings
I mprove your return
on investment

On-demand
Maintenance

Whether youre beginning a project, preparing

to install new equipment, looking to extend
the life of an existing installation, or planning
to decommission an outdated facility, we have
the experience and the service specialists to
support you.

Advanced energy expertise

Schneider Electric Project and Engineering
Centers (PECs) are located throughout the
world, offering risk management expertise to
guarantee system reliability, availability, and
maintainability. Plant and system safety can
be ensured through studies such as Safety
Integrity Levels (SIL) and Production Safety
Processes (PSP) as well as specific studies in
terms of cyber security and electromagnetic
compatibility.
Our highly skilled teams are leaders in their
respective fields and work together to help
design and study smarter, safer, and more
reliable electrical networks for your next hydro
project.

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Through 2035, hydro power

will account for 55% of the total
increase in global renewable
energy production.
Source: US International Energy Information Administration, 2011

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Produce efficiently and safely while

contributing to a greener world

Learn more about our plant management expertise!

Visit www.schneider-electric.com/smallhydrosolutions and
download our FREE brochure today!
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Make the most of your energySM

Head Office
35, rue Joseph Monier - CS30323
F92505 Rueil-Malmaison Cedex
FRANCE
www.schneider-electric.com

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Schneider Electric Industries SAS

2012-10-30 15:40:37