Jakimavičius, D., Gailiušis, B., Šarauskienė, D., Jurgelėnaitė, A., Meilutytė-Lukauskienė, D.
Assessment of the riverine hydrokinetic energy resources in
Lithuania
The hydro-energy resources are considered as promising
renewable energy sources, which emphasizes the need for assessment of
theoretical hydrokinetic energy resources stored in Lithuanian rivers. This
article presents the results of an investigation of the theoretical
hydrokinetic energy in small and medium-size rivers. A total of 282 rivers
(1487 segments) were examined and the relationships were established for
evaluation of their hydrological and morphological indicators, such as river
depth, width, and flow velocity. Only 41 rivers (328 segments) were identified
as having a theoretical hydrokinetic potential. The total length of these
valuable river segments reaches 2000 km. The estimated kinetic energy capacity
calculated for a 1 km channel segment is 45.3 kW in South-eastern, 40.8 kW in
Western, and 38.2 kW in Central Lithuania.