Сartographic modeling of small hydropower potential in Kharkiv region using GIS technologies

The use of small hydropower resources is considered as one of the priority development directions in the energy sector in Ukraine and worldwide. In the initial planning stages of hydropower development and small hydropower plants placing, there is a need to conduct detailed assessments of hydropower potential. With the development of geo-information technologies, the possibility of spatial modeling and GIS tools application have emerged for the automated construction of a surface water runoff models, quantification of hydropower resources and definition of the sites potentially favorable to establish small hydropower plants. In this paper an algorithm of automated mathematical and cartographic hydropower potential modeling is proposed. It was implemented on the basis of a multi-purpose (universal) geographic information system ArcGIS and includes the use of standard analytical tools, which can be an advantage, because it requires no additional software development or purchase of specialized software for hydropower resources study. The proposed methodology involves the use of the Hydrology toolset in ArcGIS Spatial Analyst Tools and a range of other analytical tools to calculate energy potential on the river segments, as well as mapping of hydropower resources, which allows to define the river sections with the highest energy indicators and the possible placements for new hydropower plants. During the research the indicators of specific water flow power (theoretical energy potential), as well as the value of the potential energy production on the river segments (technical energy potential) were calculated. Based on the obtained calculation results the series of hydropower resources maps for the territory of Kharkiv region has been designed; it includes three maps that show the water flow, theoretical and technical hydropower potential on the river sections. Using the information obtained from the maps, prospective sites for construction of small hydropower plants have been identified within Kharkiv region on the rivers Siversky Donets, Uda, Berestova, Mozh and Merlo.