Decentralized hydropower for heads from 1.8 metres
ÖWATEC develops and supplies modular hydropower plants for municipalities, companies and rural regions — predictable, fish-friendly and independent of world markets.
“The principle of all things is water; for water is everything, and to water everything returns.” Thales of Miletus
Around the world, villages and rural areas increasingly need a reliable, decentralized and predictable — that is, world-market-independent — supply of electrical energy.
ÖWATEC from Germany offers OVERA hydropower plants as a solution for municipalities and companies located close to medium-sized rivers, or at large water pipelines and channels.
The OVERA-W module
The OVERA-W module is based on the principle of the classic waterwheel. Through consistent in-house research and development, the potential and kinetic energy of the water is harnessed at high energy density. The technology is already economically viable at sites with low heads from 1.8 m and flow rates from 10 m³/s.
Thanks to its near-bed water flow, the OVERA-W continues to move sediment along the riverbed while remaining fish-friendly. As an industrially manufactured compact power plant, it achieves high production quality and enables fast on-site installation.
Length including outlet channels.
One system, many modules
The OVERA compact design is based on individual, industrially prefabricated modules. Each module contains the drive paddle wheel, gearbox, generator and control unit as a self-contained unit. For larger flow rates, several modules can easily be installed side by side — built up in stages or extended later.
Single module
Module row, expandable
Hydraulic engineering, tailored
Dedicated hydraulic engineering solutions have been developed for OVERA hydropower plants — based on standardized steel sheet piling, steel and concrete planking, sluice gates, trash racks and deflectors. The hydraulic engineering also follows the principle of compact design and can be adapted to the specific watercourse and any existing structures.
Where OVERA-W is used
Wherever rivers or existing water infrastructure offer unused head.
Municipalities on rivers
Decentralized power supply for communities located close to medium-sized rivers and streams.
Existing hydraulic structures
Retrofitting weirs, sluices and existing hydraulic structures with additional generating capacity.
Water pipelines & channels
Using existing head in large water pipelines and channels — even entirely without a free-flowing watercourse.
Rural & remote regions
Reliable, predictable energy supply for regions without a stable grid connection.
Electrical output per module
Example values for one OVERA-W module, depending on head and flow rate.
| Flow rate | 1.5 m | 2.0 m | 3.0 m | 4.0 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 m³/s | 32 kW | 42 kW | 63 kW | 84 kW |
| 4 m³/s | 42 kW | 56 kW | 84 kW | 112 kW |
| 5 m³/s | 52 kW | 70 kW | 105 kW | 140 kW |
| 6 m³/s | 63 kW | 84 kW | 126 kW | 168 kW |
Columns = head, rows = flow rate. Values apply per module and vary depending on site conditions. For a site-specific design, please contact us directly.
In operation
Talk to us about your site
ÖWATEC Wasserkraft GmbH
33104 Paderborn
Germany
RADURIS Kft.
Tapolcai út 47
Hungary
Email: office@raduris.com