---To preserve precious historical
profiles and recall glorious past, to record great events
and eulogize brilliant achievements
Along with the development of new
China and the implementation of the policy of Reform and
Opening up, small hydropower (SHP) industry in China has
undergone a marvelous period of 60 years with its great
achievements attracting attention from the whole world.
In order to preserve precious historical profiles, recall
brilliant past of SHP development in China, track down
great events during the sixty years and reflect and eulogize
the achievements on SHP that China has achieved since
its foundation, the Sixty Years of Small Hydropower Development
in China which is compiled by the Bureau of Rural Hydropower
and Electrification Development, Ministry of Water Resources
(MWR) will soon be available to readers. Minister of Water
Resources Chen Lei prefaces this book. Vice minister of
Water Resources Hu Siyi is the director of Editorial Committee
for this book and Director of Bureau of Rural Hydropower
and Electrification Development Tian Zhongxing is the
editor-in-chief.
China boasts abundant small hydropower
resources with a technically exploitable volume of 128
million kW, ranking the first in the world. These resources
are scattered in more than 1700 counties (cities/regions)
nationwide. During the sixty years since the founding
of PRC, especially after implementing the policy of Reform
and Opening up, small hydropower has gained rapid development
with guidance and support from Central Committee and State
Council as well as local party committees and governments
of different levels. It has played significant roles in
providing electricity in rural areas, facilitating economic
and social development in rural areas, improving the living
and working conditions of farmers and enhancing energy
conservation and emission reduction, etc. In the new era,
the unique functions of SHP in ecological construction,
energy conservation and reduction of pollutant emission
are widely appreciated by various circles of society.
Especially in 2008 when the freezing rain and blizzard
disaster in south China as well as Wenchuan Earthquake
happened, small hydropower exerted its advantage as the
distributed energy sources thus playing an important role
in ensuring the security of the grid and relieving the
disaster.
After sixty years' unremitting efforts,
there are about 45000 SHP stations in the mainland China
with an installed capacity of 51 million kW and an annual
power generation of more than 160 billion kWh, accounting
for 30% of installed capacity and annual power generation
of hydropower in China. The capacity under construction
reaches 20 million kW. Thanks to small hydropower, 1/2
of the land, 1/3 of the counties and cities, more than
300 million of rural population have access to electricity,
thus improving the power access rate of households in
rural hydropower areas from less than 40% in 1980 to 99.6%
in 2008.
The SHP-based rural hydropower, which
has been developed in the countryside and benefits agriculture,
prospers rural areas and serves farmers, is recognized
and highly appreciated by the Party Central Committee
and the State Council as well as local party committees
and governments of different levels. It also gains much
support from the local people in rural areas. Small hydropower
stations have become important infrastructure for the
economic and social development in rural areas; small
hydropower industry has played a key role in ecological
construction and environmental protection in mountainous
and hilly areas. China is undoubtedly a big country of
small hydropower. China's techniques and experiences in
developing SHP are spread in many developing countries;
China's practice of achieving rural electrification through
developing small hydropower has attracted world attention
and been widely appreciated by the UN and various countries
in the world.
This ten-chapter book records the
fantastic development of small hydropower in China in
detail. It not only summarizes the past achievements and
experience of SHP in China, but also prospects the future
development of SHP industry. Therefore it is a historical
literature for water and hydropower sector, significantly
guiding rural hydropower industry in the new era. This
book could not only be used as research profiles for managerial
departments, institutes or companies of scientific research,
design and construction as well as universities or colleges
in the field of rural hydropower, but also serve as reference
for managerial leaders, scientific, technical staff and
technicians engaged in rural hydropower development. (2009-09-14)