Hydropower Potential Assessment in Langkemme River, Soppeng Regency: an Alternative Source of Renewable Energy in South Sulawesi
Adi Maulana
Department of Geology Engineering, Hasanuddin University, Makassar
Abstract
As demand on energy is growing while the resources is limited, alternative sources of renewable energy is becoming popular. Small-scale hydropower systems or known as hydropower plant are one of prominent source of renewable energy due to the economic competitiveness and availability. The plant utilizes the power generated by the river flow to generate the electricity. The Langkemme River is one of the major rivers in Soppeng Regency, South Sulawesi Province. We evaluated situation and condition of Langkemme River in order to determine the potential for hydropower assessment as a hydropower plant. Based on the evaluation, the topographical aspect and the existence of permanent waters show the possibility to install the mini hydropower power (MHP) plant on the river. From the mainstay discharge analysis using probability of 40%, the plant is designed to have a total head as 64 m and discharge is about 5.58 meters cubic per second (m3/sec). The production of energy is estimated as 3 MW annually. Based on the discharge and head of the MHP point plan the type of turbine ideal for MHP plans is the Francis turbine type.
Keywords: Hydropower, Langkemme River, Soppeng, Renewable Energy, South Sulawesi
Topic: Renewable Energy