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Micro hydro power schemes are characterised by a power output of less than 100kW. They have been identified as a means of providing mechanical and electrical power for isolated communities in developing countries, with a view to increasing the rate of development in such communities. Nepal is one of the poorest countries of the world and, apart from hydro power, has little in the way of natural resources which it can use as a basis for development. It is essential, therefore, that this hydro resource is exploited efficiently. Large scale hydro power schemes benefit the country as a whole, but bring few benefits to the rural poor. Micro hydro power schemes supplying mechanical and electrical power can, however, have an immediate impact at this level. Small scale engineering projects in developing countries are constrained by factors which are not present in the developed world, such as lack of infrastructure, transport problems, communications problems and meagre materials and skills resources. Experiential knowledge is therefore as important as professional knowledge in the design and installation of micro hydro power schemes. When personnel leave the organisations which are involved in micro hydro power their skills are lost to the field. Expert systems and Decision Support Software (DSS) provide a method for capturing their experiential knowledge. The MICADO system of DSS is a software tool created to support engineers designing micro hydro power schemes and others who may be assessing the viability of such schemes. The software is intended for use in Nepal, but the evaluation routines can be applied to micro hydro power schemes elsewhere in the world. MICADO was programmed to specifications given by its user group in Nepal, and was constrained to run on hardware which was already available to them. It is configured on the commercially available CRYSTAL expert system builder, and runs on IBM PCs and compatibles. |
