Here are some good references for planning, designing, and building a micro-hydro system. Step zero is to carefully determine if you have a hydro resource that is worth developing -- some of the references cover how to do this in detail.
If you have a reliable stream, a DIY hydro system can be a very cost effective way to generate power. Since hydro gives 24-7 generation, the energy from even low power hydro generators adds up.
Water pumping is covered under
Solar Water Pumping (including
Ram Pumps). Directory for this page:
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Small Hydro | |||||||||||||
Microhydro-Electric Systems
Simplfied, Paul Cunningham and Ian Woofenden www.homepower.com/files/beginner/MicrohydroBasics.pdf
If above in unavailable try, |
![]() Covers the basic types of micro-hydro systems and the components that make them up. A free download from the Home Power site. |
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Microhydro - Clean Power from
Water, Scott Davis, New Society Publishers Some extensive excerpts at Google
Books:
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![]() This is a very good, hands on book for designing and building microhydro systems. 176 pages. Published 2004. Covers site assessment, pipe design, turbine selection, nozzle design,
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Water Wheel
Engineering, Ron Shannon (Australia)
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![]() Ron is willing to answer email questions in this
area -- you can reach him at: |
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Intro to Hydro Power |
![]() Very good articles on small hydro power. Covers each part of the hydro system in some detail. Sizing information and some installation information. Part 2 covers in detail the process of determining if you have a sufficient hydro resource to be worthwhile-- a good starting place. |
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Micro Hydro Articles from Home Power
An article on Micro Hydro basics:
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Home Power Magazine is providing the articles to the left. From the same link: |
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Micro-Hydropower Systems -- A
Buyer's Guide, Natural Resources Canada Download The
Guide (pdf) |
![]() Very well written with quite a bit of practical design and installation material. 56 pages.
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Energy
Alternative -- Micro Hydro Calculator http://www.energyalternatives.ca/...
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![]() They also offer an class and other micro hydro resources.
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Rocky
Hydro -- Hydroelectric Calculator
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![]() Lots of other good DIY information on the Rocky Hydro website... |
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Calculators: Hydroelectric capacity, water turbine and waterwheel design, hydraulic rams sizing... |
Borst Engineering and Construction provides a number of calculators that are helpful for small hydro, solar heating, and renewable energy applications. They are a small engineering consulting and analysis business -- "We are do-it-yourselfers (DIY) at heart and we support like-minded people" |
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Living off the Grid – A New Era in Home-Owner Hydro James R. Udall Finding Mother Earth News articles...
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![]() Good Mother Earth News article on building small scale hydro systems. Several examples are discussed. Not sufficiently detailed to do your design from, but good basic material. |
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Site Evaluation and
Design for Micro Hydro Systems (Large download 11.5 MB pdf)
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![]() This is a well organized collection of articles and papers on micro hydro applications. It covers most of what you will need to do to evaluate your site for hydro, select the right kind of generator, and design and install a small hydro system.
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Judy of the
Woods adds micro-hydro http://www.judyofthewoods.net/off/hydro.html
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![]() Judy was able to combine the output from several modest size springs and run the combined output 600 ft (100 ft vertical) down the hill to meet her modest power needs. Judy has a really interesting website -- Judy of the woods. While most of us are trying to get our phantom loads down to a hundred watts, Judy lives on this amount of power with no problems. |
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A Small Creek
Provides Plenty of Power for this Off-Grid Home, Scott Gentleman, Backwoods Home Magazine, November 2007
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![]() ![]() Some good design and construction information. |
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Homebrew Hydro Electric, Hydro Electric Experiment with Direct Drive Alternator From Otherpower.com http://www.otherpower.com/scotthydro1.html
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![]() This setup works with very modest flow and head, to produce a small, but useful amount of electricity. |
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Undershot Water Wheel
This is the paper that was used in designing this water wheel: Update 2/15/07 -- some email questions answered. |
![]() Full details on how it was built. |
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A small Undershot Water Wheel
Project http://makingyourown.ludlowsurvivors.com/WWPG.html |
![]() Not so sure about the durability of the plywood wheel, but it gives some ideas for construction and and design and an idea what can be done with a small source. |
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Aspen Hollow Micro-Hydro System
Aspen Micro Hydro System Description: |
![]() Note the unusual inlet that requires minimal stream disturbance. The information is kind of spread around, so look around carefully. |
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ECO
Innovation -- Pelton Turbines...
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![]() Quite a bit of design and installation material is provided -- most applicable to other Pelton wheels. |
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A Batteryless, Utility Intertie
Microhydro System Kurt Johnson with Paul Hoover How to get articles from Home Power ... |
Home Power Magazine article, issue 80 A very good article on the design and installation of a micro hydro system on a creek. The system is intertied to the utility grid. Good detail on planning and installation. |
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Induction Motors for Small-Scale
Hydro Bill Havilland |
Home Power Magazine article, issue 71 Very good article on the pros and cons of using a three phase induction motor forsmall scale hydro installation rather than a DC alternator. Quite a bit of detail on systems using induction motors for generators. |
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From Water to Wire Peter Talbot |
Very good hands-on article about building a high head, low flow small hydro system. Lots of design and construction information. A really challenging installation. |
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240VAC Direct Drive Hydro John Hermans |
![]() Description
of a 240VAC, low head hydro system in Australia. Good detail. |
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4+ KW Synchronous AC Hydro System http://ludens.cl/paradise/turbine/turbine.html
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![]() Initial power output is 4KW with potential for about twice that. |
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The 10 Kinzel/Kingsley Rules for Surviving Micro Hydroelectric Power (and what the ads and manuals don’t tell you) Terry Kinzel and Sue Ellen Kingsley |
![]() Very entertaining and helpful article on installing and living with a micro hydro power system. Ten rules are presented based on the authors experience. Rule 2 is "Never underestimate the ability of the technical elite to dazzle and befuddle us technological dummies". |
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Powerful Dreams Undermine |
Home Power magazine article, issue 96 Description of 30kw grid intertied hydro installation. |
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Happy On One Kilowatt Bill Isely Mother Earth News |
![]() Good article on how one couple built a small hydro system that generates about 24KWH per day – just enough to meet their needs. Quite a bit of construction information. |
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Hydro Power Done Dirt Cheap Stephen M. Gima, Eileen Puttre |
![]() Good article on a very cheap ($328) micro hydro system for a cabin. |
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Overshot Water Wheel Design and
Construction Manual Published by VITA Another Vita manual on waterwheel design:
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Fitz Water Wheel... |
Their website has a lot of information on water wheels including some sizing hints and testing.
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Quite a few pictures of projects, some design information, links, and inexpensive plans for a 10.5 ft waterwheel.
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Banki Water Turbine Design and
Construction Manual Published by VITA or,
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![]() Some material is provided on sizing the turbine to the stream, and detailed instructions are provided for the construction of the turbine. Little is provided on the sizing and gearing for the generator. |
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Micro Hydro Forums
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Some online forums that might provide answers to questions on micro hydro. | ||||||||||||
Flow of River Hydro Hydro installations that make use only of the stream velocity to generate power. |
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Flow of river hydro projects: design information and example projects... |
![]() I regularly get questions from people who live on a stream or river and would like to make use of it as a power source, but the stream has no useable elevation drop over the property, and a dam to make an elevation drop would not be allowed. So, I spent a little time compiling a page that provides a way to determine how much power you might have available just from the water velocity, and also lists all of the residential size projects I could find that appear to have a chance of working. Flow of river hydro projects: design information and example projects... |
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A Few Small Hydro Suppliers -- Listed roughly in order of power output offered. | |||||||||||||
APMHydro
Grants Pass, Oregon |
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Pelton wheels mated with your choice of many generators. |
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Energy Systems and Designs Limited http://www.microhydropower.com
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Small Pelton and stream propeller turbines. Medium down to as low as 5 ft.
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Rocky Hydro
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![]() They seem very DIY oriented and there is quite a bit of helpful design/build information on the site. |
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In addition there is a blog with a number of useful articles and videos on small hydro projects. |
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ECOInnovation
http://www.ecoinnovation.co.nz
New Zeeland |
![]() Up to about 1800 watts. DC generators, various voltages. Medium to high head. Parts for DIY systems. |
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PowerSpout
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The website is helpful with calculators, manuals, and pictures of projects.
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Water Motors | |
Water Power in the Andes -- A water
MOTOR Ron Davis How to get articles from Home Power ...
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![]() Very interesting article on design, build and use of Pelton water MOTOR to directly power woodworking tools and other devices in a remote area. |