Municipal water supply dams as a source of small hydropower in Turkey

In Turkey the laws published in recent years succeeded in promoting the utilization of renewable energy for electricity generation. After the publication of Renewable Energy Law on 18 May 2005 in Turkey there occurred a boost in renewable energy projects along with hydropower development. Thus, the economically feasible hydropower potential of Turkey increased 15% and the construction of hydropower plants also increased by a factor of four in 2007 as compared to 2006. From this perspective, this paper was aimed to evaluate the small hydropower potential of municipal water supply dams of Turkey and discussed the current situation of SHP plants in terms of the government policy. It is estimated that the installing small hydropower plants to exiting 45 municipal water supply dams in Turkey will generate 173 GWh/year electric energy without effecting the natural environment. For a case study, Zonguldak Ulutan Dam and its water treatment plant has been investigated in detail.