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The Sixty Years of Small Hydropower Development in China will be out to readers

   ---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)

 

 

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