Editing Small hydro (section)

{{Short description|Hydroelectric project at the local level with a few MW production}}
[[Image:Fall in Licq-Atherey.jpg|thumb|Small power plant of Licq-Athérey (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France).]]
<!-- [[Image:Lochay hydro-electric power station tailrace - geograph.org.uk - 745436.jpg|thumb|Small 2 MW hydro in [[Perthshire]], Scotland]] -->Small hydro is the generation of [[hydroelectric power]] on a smaller scale as compared to traditional large-scale hydro. Exact definitions vary by country, but small hydro power (SHP) projects are typically less than 50 [[Megawatt|megawatts]] (MW) and can be further subdivided by scale into "mini" (<500kW), "[[Micro hydro|micro]]" (<100 kW), and "[[Pico hydro|pico]]" (<10 kW).<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is small hydro? |url=https://www.ieahydro.org/about/past-achievements-and-completed-activities/annex-2/what-is-small-hydro |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=IEA Hydropower}}</ref> Maximum power generation capacity is the primary factor of SHP classification. Factors like dam height, [[weir]] height, reservoir area, outlet structures and operating procedures are not standardized under this metric.

SHP projects have grown rapidly in the past two decades. Quicker permitting processes can make them easier to develop and contribute to [[distributed generation]] in a regional electricity grid. Small hydro projects may be built in isolated areas that would be uneconomic to serve from a national electricity grid, or in areas where a national grid does not exist. They produce power on a scale suitable for local community use, promoting energy independence. Rural areas face challenges in SHP integration due to an absence of political focus, accurate data, and sustainable funding.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=UNIDO |last2=Power |first2=International Center on Small Hydro |date=2022 |title=World Small Hydropower Development Report 2022 |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4025088?v=pdf |journal=Global overview / United Nations Industrial Development Organization |language=en}}</ref> 

The exact socio-environmental effects of smaller scale hydro are not yet fully understood. Many countries do not require environmental impact assessments for smaller installations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Couto |first1=Thiago BA |last2=Olden |first2=Julian D |date=2018 |title=Global proliferation of small hydropower plants – science and policy |url=https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/fee.1746 |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment |language=en |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=91–100 |doi=10.1002/fee.1746 |bibcode=2018FrEE...16...91C |issn=1540-9309|url-access=subscription }}</ref>