There remains a focus on microgeneration and community schemes, and there is still an interest in redeveloping many disused watermill sites and small off-grid hydro projects. Micro hydro development in the UK is still popular, which includes pico, micro and mini. There remain opportunities for sensitively sited micro hydro installations (up to 100kW installed capacity) that can supply cheap, reliable generation with minimal visual and environmental impact.
Pico hydro is traditionally hydroelectric power generation of under 5 kW. This has proven to be useful in small, remote communities that require only a small amount of electricity.
Even smaller turbines of 200–300 W may power a single home with a drop of only one meter. Pico-hydro setups typically are run-of-stream, meaning that a reservoir of water is not created, only a small weir is common, pipes divert some of the flow, drop this down a gradient, and through the turbine before being put back to the stream.