Hydropower
Hydropower Output Power
P = (\rho \times g \times Q \times H \times \eta) / 1000
Variables
| P | Electrical power output | kW |
| ρ | Water density | kg/m³ |
| g | Gravitational acceleration | m/s² |
| Q | Design discharge | m³/s |
| H | Net head | m |
| η | Overall plant efficiency | - |
Engineering Example
A run-of-river plant with Q = 5 m³/s, H = 40 m, η = 0.85: P = (1000×9.81×5×40×0.85)/1000 ≈ 1668.7 kW.
Practical Site Example
The core sizing formula for any of Nepal's many run-of-river hydropower projects, from micro-hydro up to large IPP schemes.