SCADA Based Monitoring and Control for Micro-Hydropower

Abstract

Micro-hydropower plants (MHPs) in rural Nepal face persistent operational inefficiencies due to manual monitoring and the absence of automated control systems. This study presents a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)-based SCADA system designed and validated for a 30 kW MHP laboratory setup at Khwopa College of Engineering. The system integrates five sensor types (pressure, flow, speed, voltage, and level) with a PLC-controlled Electronic Load Controller (ELC), implemented using the freeware VTSCADA LIGHT platform. Key results demonstrate that the PLC-based ELC maintained output frequency stability at 50 Hz with speed deviations held within 1150 ± 57.5 RPM under varying load conditions. Automated alarm management achieved a 95% operator acknowledgrment rate within 30 seconds, compared to manual response times of 40–60 seconds, representing a 40% improvement in response efficiency. Post-automation operation significantly reduced the need for manual on-site interventions, thereby enhancing worker safety, particularly in remote and hard-to-access locations. Ethernet communication reliability was validated at 99.8% over 100 data transfer cycles. The system offers a scalable solution bridging the automation gap between large hydropower plants and rural MHPs, with direct implications for rural electrification policy in Nepal and similar developing-region contexts.