Randomized trial assesses small hydropower potential in the Lijia River Basin, suggesting a replicable framework for other rivers.
This study integrates GIS, SAGA, and the SWAT+ model to establish a systematic framework for assessing small hydropower potential in mountainous rivers of Taiwan. Using DEM, soil, land-use, and meteorological data, the Lijia River Basin was delineated into 17 sub-watersheds. Slope and head were calculated with QGIS and SAGA, while SWAT+ simulated daily streamflow for 2024. The results show that Sub-watershed 5, characterized by steep slopes and stable flows, is suitable for turbines such as Francis, Pelton, and Cross-Flow. Turbine–site matching demonstrated how hydrological and topographic attributes can be effectively integrated to identify potential sites. Although demonstrated in a single basin, the framework is scalable and applicable to other rivers with similar characteristics. Overall, the proposed approach provides a cost-effective, replicable, and practical method for supporting decentralized small hydropower development in remote areas.
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Chung et al. (2026) studied this question.
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