Gravitational water vortex hydraulic turbine implementation in Colombia: hydropower potential and prospects

Abstract

The availability of the energy has changed the humanity over the last centuries. The first types of energy used by humanity were renewable energies: biomass, wind, and water. But, for the last two centuries, fossil fuels have been the protagonists of world energy consumption. However, recently there has been an awareness of the great energy dependence on a finite resource, geographically concentrated in a few countries, which in addition to degrading the environment, is subject to large fluctuations in price. From renewable energies, hydroelectricity is currently the most important source in the Latin American electricity matrix. Current projections suggest that the installed hydroelectric capacity will continue to grow to meet future electricity demand. New turbine designs, such as gravitational water vortex hydraulic turbines, have drawn the attention of many researchers due to their easy installation and maintenance, and their low environmental impact. This work presents the hydropower potential and prospects for the implementation of this type of turbine in the Colombian context, and as well as a general description of the current panorama of the Colombian energy system.