This could be done with private participation or community involvement. “What is expected from the Government is proper, pro-active policies to facilitate development of SHPs”, Damodaran said.
Damodaran further said that framework directives should be put in place on simultaneous and multi-purpose use of water resources, as done by European Union recently and China some 50 years back.
The benefit of SHP over other sources of electricity is that it is most environment-friendly. Damodaran said that when an SHP produces on kWh electricity, its environmental impact is 300 times less than with lignite, 250 times lower than coal, 125 times less than uranium and 50 times less compared to natural gas.
Hydro electricity is a leading source of renewable energy, providing 19% of electricity. But SHP accounts for only 10% to 12% of hydel power, though it accounts for 63% of renewable energy sources.
