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39-474: The Rubicon Hydroelectric Scheme is a small run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme located on the Rubicon and Royston Rivers, north east of Melbourne , 40 km (25 mi) south-west of Alexandra, Victoria , Australia. The scheme commenced in 1922, and was the first state-owned hydroelectric scheme to generate electricity in mainland Australia, and among the first in the world to be remotely controlled. For

78-433: A global testing ground for 10–50 MW run-of-river technology . As of March 2010, there were 628 applications pending for new water licences solely for power generation, representing more than 750 potential points of river diversion. In undeveloped areas, new access roads and transmission lines can cause habitat fragmentation , allowing the introduction of invasive species. Run-of-the-river projects strongly depend on

117-671: A report was delivered by Messrs J.M. and H.E. Coane relating to the development of potential hydro-electric power on the Goulburn River and the Cerberean Range. Their findings were submitted to the Parliament of Victoria for funding, with the more cost effective project approved in 1922. Known as the Sugarloaf – Rubicon Project , the initial plan involved five power stations, with total turbine capacity of 25,800 horsepower (19.2 MW). It

156-471: A river's flow (up to 95% of mean annual discharge) through a pipe and/or tunnel leading to electricity-generating turbines, then return the water back to the river downstream. Run-of-the-river projects are dramatically different in design and appearance from conventional hydroelectric projects. Traditional hydroelectric dams store enormous quantities of water in reservoirs , sometimes flooding large tracts of land. In contrast, run-of-river projects do not have

195-502: A stationary engine, or pulled by small, light locomotives. Tramways can exist in many forms; sometimes simply tracks temporarily placed on the ground to transport materials around a factory, mine or quarry. Many use narrow-gauge railway technology, but because tramway infrastructure is not intended to support the weight of vehicles used on railways of wider track gauge , the infrastructure can be built using less substantial materials, enabling considerable cost savings. The term "tramway"

234-417: Is considered an "unfirm" source of power: a run-of-the-river project has little or no capacity for energy storage and so cannot co-ordinate the output of electricity generation to match consumer demand. It thus generates much more power when seasonal river flows are high (spring freshet ), and depending on location, much less during drier summer months or frozen winter months. Depending on location and type,

273-452: Is considered ideal for streams or rivers that can sustain a minimum flow or those regulated by a lake or reservoir upstream. A small dam is usually built to create a headpond ensuring that there is enough water entering the penstock pipes that lead to the turbines , which are at a lower elevation. Projects with pondage, as opposed to those without pondage, can store water for daily load demands. In general, projects divert some or most of

312-501: Is generally used to cover exclusively short-term peak times electricity demand. Diversion Weir is also heavily dependent on the natural river flow. Similar to a regular dam, water is stored from lull periods to be used during peak-times. This allows for the pondage dams to provide for the regulation of daily and/or weekly flows depending on location. When developed with care to footprint size and location, run-of-the-river hydro projects can create sustainable energy minimizing impacts to

351-591: Is not used in North America, but is commonly used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere where British railway terminology and practices influenced management practices, terminologies and railway cultures, such as Australia , New Zealand , and those parts of Asia, Africa and South America that consulted with British engineers when undergoing modernization. In New Zealand, they are commonly known as " bush tramways " and are often not intended to be permanent. In Australia

390-441: Is rated at 1,853 MW. Some run-of-the-river projects are downstream of other dams and reservoirs. The reservoir was not built by the project but takes advantage of the water supplied by it. An example would be the 1995 1,436 MW La Grande-1 generating station . Previous upstream dams and reservoirs were part of the 1980s James Bay Project . There are also small and somewhat-mobile forms of a run-of-the-river power plants. One example

429-653: Is the so-called electricity buoy , a small floating hydroelectric power plant . Like most buoys, it is anchored to the ground, in this case in a river. The energy within the moving water propels a power generator and thereby creates electricity. Prototypes by commercial producers are generating power on the Middle Rhine river in Germany and on the Danube river in Austria. The advantages and disadvantages of run-of-river dams depends on

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468-407: The Goulburn River was replaced by the larger Eildon Power Station , after the weir was replaced by a much higher dam wall at the same site. The turbines were upgraded and reused. Today, the scheme consists of three small run-of-river dams, four power stations, and associated raceways and penstocks . The total generating capacity of the scheme is approximately 13 megawatts, which is achieved during

507-915: The disadvantages associated with reservoirs and so cause fewer environmental impacts. The use of the term "run-of-the-river" for power projects varies around the world. Some may consider a project run-of-the-river if power is produced with no water storage, but limited storage is considered run-of-the-river by others. Developers may mislabel a project run-of-the-river to soothe public perception about its environmental or social effects. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity distinguishes run-of-the-river and pondage hydropower plants, which can hold enough water to allow generation for up to 24 hours (reservoir capacity / generating capacity ≤ 24 hours), from reservoir hydropower plants, which hold far more than 24 hours of generation without pumps. The Bureau of Indian Standards describes run-of-the-river hydroelectricity as: A power station utilizing

546-528: The 1990s. An additional tramway was built for construction of the Royston power station and dam, and removed on completion. The trestle bridges were replaced after their destruction in the 1939 Black Friday bushfires, and were again replaced as part of a maintenance program in 1960s. The Royston and Lubra Creek bridges were replaced in 1987 and 1991 respectively. The Beech Creek bridge was destroyed in February 2009 by

585-995: The Murrindindi Mill fire, one of the Black Saturday bushfires . The Victorian Government agreed to rebuild the bridge in October 2011. The Scheme is on the Victorian Heritage Register and the Register of the National Estate , and the surrounding state forest is set aside for its protection. The historical significance of the scheme is increased by its century of continuous use in essentially original form. Download coordinates as: 37°19′37″S 145°51′39″E  /  37.32694°S 145.86083°E  / -37.32694; 145.86083 Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity Run-of-the-river, or ROR, hydroelectricity

624-696: The Rubicon Dam. It diverts water around the Rubicon Falls into the Rubicon Falls Power Station through a 420-metre (1,380 ft) penstock. The power station has a single 0.3-megawatt (400 hp) horizontal twin-jet Pelton wheel. A 2-foot (610 mm)-gauge steel tramway was built for construction access between Rubicon Power Station and Rubicon Dam, with timber trestle bridges at Fifteen Thousand Foot Siphon, Royston Power Station, Beech Creek and Lubra Creek. The tramway remained in operation until

663-599: The Rubicon Power Station flows along a 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) aqueduct, then through a 320-metre (1,050 ft), 51-inch (1,300 mm) diameter penstock to the Lower Rubicon Power Station . This comprises a single 2.6-megawatt (3,500 hp) horizontal generator. The discharge water from the power station is returned to the Rubicon River. The Rubicon Falls Dam is on the Rubicon River below

702-508: The consistent flow of water, as they lack reservoirs and depend on the natural flow of rivers. Consequently, these projects are more vulnerable to climate change compared to storage-based projects. Short-term climate anomalies such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) [1] can significantly disrupt the flow and can have a profound impact on the operation of these projects. Thus, incorporating climate change considerations into

741-412: The electricity needed by consumers and industry. Moreover, run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants do not have reservoirs, thus eliminating the methane and carbon dioxide emissions caused by the decomposition of organic matter in the reservoir of a conventional hydroelectric dam. That is a particular advantage in tropical countries, where methane generation can be a problem. Without a reservoir, flooding of

780-514: The first ten years of its operation it supplied on average 16.9% of electricity generated by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria . It is now owned and operated by AGL Energy and contributes approximately 0.02% of Victoria's energy supply. In the 1920s, the State Electricity Commission of Victoria investigated hydroelectric power generation, in parallel with work on brown coal -fired power stations at Yallourn . In 1922,

819-567: The ground they were less likely to be blocked by debris, but they obstructed other traffic, and the wagons could not be used beyond the limits of the rails – whereas plateways had the advantage that trucks with unflanged wheels could be wheeled freely on wharves and in factories. Edge rails were the forerunners of the modern railway track. These early lines were built to transport minerals from quarries and mines to canal wharves. From about 1830, more extensive trunk railways appeared, becoming faster, heavier and more sophisticated and, for safety reasons,

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858-399: The initial design and location selection of run-of-the-river projects can help mitigate the vulnerability of these projects to climate-related disruptions. Tramway (industrial) Tramways are lightly laid industrial railways , often not intended to be permanent. Originally, rolling stock could be pushed by humans, pulled by animals (especially horses and mules), cable-hauled by

897-404: The installed turbine capacity to over 35,000 horsepower (26 MW). The Sugarloaf Power Station generated electricity during the irrigation season from October to April, when water released from the dam could also be used for power generation. The other four power stations were used during the wetter seasons of winter and spring. Work started in 1922 and, by 1928, the mountain stream section of

936-487: The lower section. The lower part of the woodstave section is now encased in concrete. The Royston Power Station has a capacity of 0.8 megawatts (1,100 hp). Water from the power station outlet discharges into the Rubicon aqueduct about halfway along its length. The Rubicon Dam is a 64-metre (210 ft) concrete-arch dam on the Rubicon River. It diverts water into the Rubicon aqueduct for 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) to

975-433: The plant will most likely have a lower head of water than from a dam, and will thus generate less power. The potential power at a site is a result of the head and flow of water. By damming a river, the head is available to generate power at the face of the dam. A dam may create a reservoir hundreds of kilometres long, but in run-of-the-river the head is usually delivered by a canal, pipe or tunnel constructed upstream of

1014-442: The power house. The cost of upstream construction makes a steep drop desirable, such as falls or rapids. Small, well-sited run-of-the-river projects can be developed with minimal environmental impacts. Larger projects have more environmental concerns. For fish-bearing rivers, a ladder may be required, and dissolved gases downstream may affect fish. In British Columbia , the mountainous terrain and wealth of big rivers have made it

1053-533: The project was complete, with the Sugarloaf power station on the Eildon Weir following in 1929. Rubicon 'A' power station has a pipeline with a 1,455-foot (443 m) drop over its 4,280-foot (1,305 m) length. That station remotely controlled the other ones in the project. Minor enlargements were carried out at one station in 1954–55. In the 1950s, the 13.5-megawatt (18,100 hp) Sugarloaf Power Station on

1092-466: The public highway, sharing with other road users. Initially horse-drawn, they were developed to use electric power from an overhead line . A development of the tramway in the United Kingdom was the trolleybus , which dispensed with tracks but drew electricity from overhead wires . Between 2001 and 2020, two trams built to carry automotive parts (the " CarGoTram ") operated in Dresden , Germany between

1131-512: The requirements placed on them by Parliament became more and more stringent. See rail tracks . These restrictions were excessive for the small mineral lines and it became possible in the United Kingdom for them to be categorised as light railways subject to certain provisos laid down by the Light Railways Act 1896 . Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom the term tramway became the term for passenger vehicles (a tram ) that ran on tracks in

1170-581: The run of the river flows for generation of power with sufficient pondage for supplying water for meeting diurnal or weekly fluctuations of demand. In such stations, the normal course of the river is not materially altered. Many of the larger run-of-the-river projects have been designed to a scale and generating capacity rivaling some traditional hydroelectric dams. For example, the Beauharnois Hydroelectric Generating Station in Quebec

1209-503: The shaft of a wheelbarrow—in turn from Low German traam , meaning a beam. The tracks themselves were sometimes known as gangways , dating from before the 12th century, being usually simply planks laid upon the ground literally "going road". In south Wales and Somerset the term "dramway" is also used, with vehicles being called drams. An alternative term, " wagonway " (and wainway or waggonway), originally consisted of horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons. Usually

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1248-578: The site of the Royston Power Station, where it collects the water diverted through the power station from the Royston River. It then travels a further 5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi) to the Rubicon Power Station forebay. The Rubicon penstock has a 443-metre (1,453 ft) drop over its 1,305-metre (4,281 ft) length. The Rubicon Power Station has two 4.6-megawatt (6,200 hp) horizontal single-jet Pelton wheel generators. Water discharged from

1287-417: The surrounding environment and nearby communities. Run-of-the-river harnesses the natural potential energy of water by eliminating the need to burn coal or natural gas to generate the electricity needed by consumers and industry. Advantages include: Like all hydro-electric power, run-of-the-river harnesses the natural potential energy of water by eliminating the need to burn coal or natural gas to generate

1326-516: The term was widely used in connection with logging, no longer extant. Today in the state of Queensland , however, there remain several thousand kilometres of sugar-cane tramways . Passengers do not generally travel aboard tramways, although employees sometimes use them, either officially or unofficially. The term was originally applied to wagons running on primitive tracks in mediaeval Great Britain and Europe . The name seems to date from about 1517 and to be derived from an English dialect word for

1365-406: The type, the following sections generally refer to Dam-Toe unless otherwise stated. These are listed in order of least impact to most impact, as well as (on average) requisite project size. Dam-toe has no flow regulation and utilizes the natural flow of the river to turn the turbines. Electricity generation is heavily dependent on river flow. Diversion Weir has very little flow regulation, which

1404-450: The upper part of the river does not take place. As a result, people remain living at or near the river and existing habitats are not flooded. Any pre-existing pattern of flooding will continue unaltered, which presents a flood risk to the facility and downstream areas. Due to their low impact, run-of-the-river dams can be implemented in existing irrigation dams with little to no change in the local fluvial ecosystem. Run-of-the-river power

1443-424: The wheels would be guided along grooves. In time, to combat wear, the timber would be reinforced with an iron strip covering. This developed to use L-shaped steel plates, the track then being known as a plateway . An alternative appeared in 1789, the so-called " edge-rail ", which allowed wagons to be guided by having the wheels flanged instead of running, flangeless, in grooves. Since these rails were raised above

1482-414: The winter months. The Royston Dam is a 48-metre (157 ft) concrete slab and buttress on the Royston River. It diverts water into an aqueduct that carries water for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) into the neighbouring Rubicon Valley to the Royston Power Station forebay. The Royston penstock consists of 900 feet (270 m) of woodstave pipe on the upper section and 916 feet (279 m) of steel pipe on

1521-592: Was to be the largest power scheme on the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission of Victoria 's ongoing construction of the Sugarloaf storage reservoir for irrigation. Greatly enlarged in the 1950s, the reservoir is now called Lake Eildon . The four other power stations comprised two on the Rubicon, one on the Royston, and one on Snobs Creek. The plans were later altered, with the Snobs Creek station being deleted, and an additional station provided at Rubicon Falls, bringing

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