
Designing a Microhydro System
The energy in falling water can be a reliable and economical source of electricity for homes and businesses.
The energy in falling water can be a reliable and economical source of electricity for homes and businesses.
Making electricity from falling water can seem like magic, and that’s led to lots of misconceptions. Here, we’ll separate fact from fiction when it comes to what microhydro systems can and cannot do.
This article focuses on measuring a stream’s head and flow. Before you can begin designing your hydro system or estimating how much electricity it will produce.
PV charge regulations can be relatively simple: When the batteries are full, the controller disconnects the PV array.
Many people contact us concerning the possibility of using a power source that is either connected to the commercial power grid or feeding power to a house that is. While this may be possible, it is not likely to make economic sense.
Every morning, before brushing teeth or having a look at the weather outside our Victoria, Australia, off-grid home, my wife Carrie or I pad downstairs to the battery room to check the meters that monitor our electrical system.
If you have a suitable site, harnessing the energy in a stream or creek can be the most cost-effective way to make renewable electricity. Compared to the sun and wind’s variability, a stream’s flow is relatively consistent, making microhydro-electric system output the most predictable of all the renewable energy (RE) electrical systems.
A letter to the editor alerted me to my chance to finally see a microhydro system. On January 18, Vivian Stockman and I visited Mickey and Jennifer Janowski, who live at an elevation of 2,250 feet in Webster County, W.Va.