The Czech Republic has approximately 1,500 to 1,700 small hydropower plants in operation. Under European legislation, small hydropower plants are generally defined as facilities with a capacity of up to 10 MW. The total installed capacity of Czech small hydropower plants is around 350–400 MW, and their annual production represents approximately 1–1.5% of the country’s electricity consumption.
Most small hydropower plants were originally built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Many were shut down after World War II, but their restoration began again after 1990. Today, most new projects focus not on building large dams, but on modernizing old weirs, mills, and historical energy sites.
The importance of small hydropower plants lies not only in electricity production. They are a highly stable renewable energy source that, unlike solar and wind power, can generate electricity relatively predictably and often continuously. Small hydropower plants also help stabilize regional distribution grids and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
However, the expansion of this sector in the Czech Republic is limited. Most suitable locations have already been utilized, and new projects often face environmental requirements, river ecosystem protection measures, and complicated permitting processes. Therefore, the future mainly lies in modernizing existing facilities — more efficient turbines can now generate more electricity with the same water flow.
From the perspective of “absolutely green” energy production, small hydropower plants play an exceptional role. They produce no CO₂ emissions during operation, require no imported fuel, and have a very long lifespan, often exceeding 50 years. At the same time, hydropower is not entirely without environmental impact. Modern projects must therefore combine clean energy generation with fish protection, maintaining river flow, and a sensitive approach to the landscape.
Small hydropower plants thus represent one of the most stable and technologically advanced renewable energy sources that the Czech Republic can continue to develop without dramatic impacts on the landscape.