An advanced ELG for control of small scale hydroelectric generation

Micro hydroelectric sets are defined as those with unit ratings of less than 100 kW. They are often situated in remote communities, particularly in developing countries. As they are often isolated from grid networks their technical characteristics are such that they require a governor to maintain the frequency at an acceptable level for the users. This paper describes the development of a microprocessor based electronic load governor (ELG). It goes on to identify limitations in its original performance and to describe improvements in the control algorithm which have led to an advanced performance. Finally, the onsite application of an ELG is described in a case study