Risks and benefits of small hydropower development: Chinese experience and Russian practice

The inevitable depletion of traditional energy sources attracts a strong interest in the development of renewable energy technologies around the world. Territorial features and abundance of water resources in Russia have a great potential for small hydropower development, but statistics show that there is no high practical interest in this area. A comparative analysis of the features of the Russian and Chinese energy systems indicates the presence of certain problems in the small hydropower industry of Russia connected with the lack of a strategic understanding of the prospects for the development of the industry at the state level. This situation naturally leads to an increase in investment risks. The purpose of the present research is to determine the conditions that can make the construction of small hydropower plants attractive to investors and lead to the formation of the market of the appropriate technological equipment. Official statistics, planning documents, expert publications in the media and scientific magazines, as well as the author's comparisons of the Russian and Chinese small hydropower regulation measures have been used in the process of analyzing the Russian energy development.