Three possible sites for a small scale hydro-electric plant were located by reference to a 1:50 000 scale

map, as shown in fig.1.  The sites are all located along River Laxford, which is near to the distribution

substation to which the hydro plant would be connected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fig.1.Possible sites for our small scale Hydro.

All sites considered are run-of-river sites.

 

Details of the sites are given in the table below.

 

 

 

In the selection process, the first consideration was environmental effects. 

 

Of the two possibilities at site 3, choice ‘a’ involved diversion

 of water into a river that the water would not normally have flowed into. 

The volumes involved would approximately double the flow rate in the object river. 

This would clearly have adverse environmental effects with the severe flooding this would induce. 

 

The effect of site 4 would be to divert water flow such that flow into Loch Bad an t-Seabhaig would

be greatly reduced.This could have adverse ecological effects.

 The other sites would involve only small diversions of flow, to be injected back into river flow at

relatively short distances downriver.

For the final selection of our site we took also under consideration the technical details

 

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