An assessment of run of river hydropower potential in Great Britain

In the UK, hydropower produces 1.65 GW of energy, only 2% of the national capacity. With most large-scale storage-based hydropower potential sites already utilised in the UK, further development is minimal due to financial, environmental and construction time concerns. However, run of river (RoR) is a type of hydropower that has the potential to be further developed. While there are studies that estimate different ranges of RoR hydropower potential, the last UK-wide study was undertaken in 1989, which makes it outdated. In this study, a methodological framework was created to assess the potential of RoR hydropower in GB. This study determines the hydrological, technical, financial and realisable potentials for pico, micro, mini and small RoR hydropower. The results show that the total hydrological potential is 20 GW, technical potential is 11 GW, financially viable potential is between 320 MW to 420 MW, the realisable potential is between 290 MW to 320 MW. Most of the realisable schemes are either mini or small, situated in the west and north-west parts of GB. This study adds to the understanding of the RoR potential in GB and offers a reliable estimate of RoR hydropower that can be produced alongside suitable RoR scheme locations.