In Transcarpathia, they can build the world's first damless hydroelectric power station, which was patented by four Mukachevo residents.
The pilot project, if approved, will have a capacity of up to 50 kWh, the Transcarpathian Regional Council reports on Facebook.
The head of the public organization "Hydro Energy Ecology of the Carpathians" Ivana Koturbacha, who owns the patent, explained that such hydroelectric power plants simultaneously solve 2 problems, namely:
- drainage of water in case of flooding of areas during floods;
- own power generation.
It was noted that the pilot project is designed to demonstrate the operation of the HPP and its safety for nature. In the future, such projects are planned to be scaled up.
According to the developers, a disembodied hydroelectric power station is 20 times cheaper than a diversion one and hundreds of times cheaper than a dam one. In addition, such a hydroelectric power station can be built 20 times faster.
The message said that the authors presented the development to the head of the Transcarpathian Regional Council Volodymyr Chubirko. Upon approval and necessary investments, the project will undergo an environmental impact assessment, budget development and public hearings.
It is noted that a damless hydroelectric power station can be built at one of several locations in areas with the necessary drops and water volumes:
- on the Latoritsa River – from the village of Latirka to Mukachevo near the villages of Gankovitsa, Podpolozye, near the Chalet motel-restaurant;
- along the course of the river Uzh – from Uzhk to Uzhgorod.
According to scientists from the Institute of Ecology of the Carpathians of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, damless hydropower plants are safe for the environment. Also, the National University of Water Management and Nature Management gave a conclusion on the environmental friendliness and expediency of using the author's development on the territory of the Carpathian region.
It is noted that in Transcarpathia, thanks to the rivers, it produces 1% of the possible volume of electricity. Safe hydropower plants on steep mountain rivers can help Ukraine overcome its energy crisis.
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