‘Small hydro’ plants better than dams, says green energy activist

 

‘Small hydro’ projects can boost the protection and conservation of Malaysia’s forests, says renewable energy activist Adrian Lasimbang.

PETALING JAYA: “Small hydro” run of river (RoR) projects should be prioritised over dams in growing Malaysia’s reliance on hydroelectric power as they are less detrimental to the environment, says a renewable energy activist.

Adrian Lasimbang, an advocate for renewable energy, said RoR technology meant there was no need to submerge massive areas of forests and farmlands to generate hydroelectric power, adding that it had led to indigenous communities being displaced in the past.

He told FMT that these “small hydro” projects would also incentivise the protection and conservation of Malaysia’s forests since they require watershed areas to operate.

“Watersheds are our natural water tanks and it makes us much more secure from threats of global warming. In fact, it’s the most effective carbon sequestration method.

“Therefore, more RoRs equal more protected watersheds – double plus points in combating climate as this means promoting green energy and creating carbon sinks.

“And, not to mention, it reduces social impact from land rights conflict, the displacement of forest-dependent indigenous communities and the loss of biodiversity,” he said.

There has been more talk about RoR systems in the context of renewable energy of late due to how it would have a significantly smaller carbon footprint compared to big hydro dams.

They require little to no water storage, with the “small hydro” plants simply depending on the flow of river waters to spin their turbines and generate electricity.

Lasimbang said RoR systems were more cost-effective compared to dams and easier to deploy. He also said this technology could be set up in protected areas, where mega-dams were banned.

S Piarapakaran, president of the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (Awer), said RoR technology would be particularly beneficial for rural communities, noting that it was already deployed in some areas with no electricity and denser forests.

Piarapakaran said the “small hydro” technology was good as it would diversify Malaysia’s renewable energy resources. This was important because all forms of renewable energy had their drawbacks, from solar panels to wind turbines.

He said the immediate risk to RoR projects was downpours and low water flows at rivers.

Sudden downpours would see debris flushed into the river, potentially disrupting the plants, while low flows meant that little electricity would be generated.

“Any technology comes with risks, so it’s very important that we know the good and bad before applying a new technology so that we can prepare for when the latter kicks in,” he said, noting that hydro dams required chopping off large areas of forests.

He added that there were some locations suitable for the RoR model in West Malaysia, with high water flow rivers available in Perak, Pahang, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan. - FMT