The economic assessment of pico-hydro power turbine using domestic technology

Although pico hydroelectric turbines have the lowest cost per unit of energy among renewable energy sources, importing hydro turbine technology for electricity production in Thailand incurs a high cost of 80 THB/W. This article discusses the economic assessment of the KIRIWONG turbine system, model KRW-3000, which is a domestic technology. It relies on technical testing results combined with relevant economic indicators' evaluation. The study found that the installation and operation of KRW-3000 hydro turbine systems is a cost-effective investment. Upon the project's completion, the benefits outweigh the costs, with a payback period of 1 year and 4 years and 4 months, respectively, when compared to the installation and operation of diesel generators and the purchase of electricity from PEA. This results in an electricity cost of 0.26 THB/kWh, which is significantly lower than the price of small hydro turbine power generation systems that are commercially available abroad.