Summary
The goal of this project is to show
that micro-hydro is an easy and most cost-effective way to generate alternative
power for household usage. The 3
essential components of a micro-hydro system are a water source, suitable flow
and head (elevation drop). From this, we
may calculate Power, Head*Flow/10.
Dividing by 10 gives us 50% efficiency, the approximate efficiency in
most cases. Here are the specs on our
stream:
Flow Rate: 80-100 gallons/minute
Head: 140 feet
Power: 1 1.5 kW Based on head*flow/10
Energy/Day 24 36 kWh
So anyone with a water source by their household may evaluate their site for micro-hydro possibilities. The next step is to size a turbine based on your site data and desired power output, our turbine specs. There are many sources on the internet and you may even resort to my Related Work page for these sources. You may ask any provider what they would have for your type of site.
Following turbine selection is pipe selection based on flow. Depending on the length of the pipeline, it could be a significant cost. The diameter pipe is important because it needs to be big enough to handle the flow. PVC pipe is most cost-effective, common, available and easiest to use. We are using 4 diameter PVC. PVC glue is needed to join the 10 or 20 foot sections. PVC does best when not exposed to the sun because it would break down since it is not UV resistant. So make sure it is always in the shade if you must have it above ground or paint it for protection. We are burying our pipeline and if you can, I would suggest that as well. This would prevent any critters from chewing at it or anybody from kicking or tripping over it.
Next is the transmission cable selection, which depends on if youre going with a battery storage system or an AC direct system. Ours is an AC direct system using #6-3 transmission cable for our 700 foot transmission line. This starts as 2 wires from the turbine unit which must make it up to the breaker panel. The #6-3 cable will be give us a negligible voltage loss through the 700 line. We also need 700 of 1 diameter PVC conduit, a cheap pipe that houses and protects the cable the whole way to the breaker.
From this breaker, there is a transfer switch that is there for convenience. This gives the option of switching the hydro loads to be completely grid dependent if you need to disconnect the hydro for maintenance or troubleshooting.
We hope that the completion of this project will help people realize the ease of installing and maintaining a micro-hydro system for household use to cut down on energy costs as well as provide a clean energy source and strong investment for decades.