Safe operation of hydropower plants is critical in all situations, even during power outage. In case the plant loses power, the hatches must still be able to maneuver and regulate the flow of water. During a power outage the hatches are maneuvered by a battery powered system with 3-10 kW industrial DC motors. The design follows a “keep it simple”-principle with as few components as possible to avoid electronic failure in the event of, for example, a lightning strike. The advantage of industrial DC-motors is that no drive system is needed to run the motor, simply switch it on with a starting resistor and the motor is good to go.
