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Culture
Artist Column, July 19, 2007: Micro-hydro: Your Own Hydroelectric
Station
by
Chuck Hall
 One
of the more popular forms of power generation is hydroelectric.
Hydroelectric plants generate clean energy by damming up a river or
other water source, then using the stored energy of this water to
turn a turbine. This turbine rotates a generator that produces
electricity. The Hoover Dam does this on a grand scale, but the
principle is just as sound for smaller, home-sized hydroelectric
stations.
You
don’t hear much about these home-sized stations, known as micro
hydros (a micro hydro is any hydroelectric station that generates
less than 100 kW), because not many home sites meet the requirements
for installation of such a system. You need a ready source of
flowing water that flows consistently at around 18-20 gallons per
minute (gpm) for the entire year. This 18-20 gpm figure isn’t
etched in stone. It is affected by many variables, including as the
‘head’ of the stream, your power consumption, and the distance
of the stream from your home. The stream’s ‘head’ refers to
the difference in height from the water source’s highest point to
the location of your turbine and generator. This determines how fast
the turbine will spin, and consequently, how much electricity will
be produced.
Your
power consumption requirements will dictate the size of the
generator you will need to incorporate into your micro-hydro
station. You may want to plan for future growth should your power
demands increase over time. It is far easier to install a system
ahead of time with more power than you need than it would be to
modify a system once it is installed. Also, the further the
micro-hydro station is from the home, the more power will be
required to transmit it over the power lines.
Most
of these variables are beyond the layman’s ability to calculate
effectively, so if you have a readily available water source on you
home site that might work for a micro hydro; you may want to consult
with an electrical engineer. It may be difficult to find an engineer
with micro hydro experience, so before taking that step, you may
want to do a little reading on the subject. I would recommend The
Micro Hydro Design Manual: A Guide to Small-Scale Water Power
Schemes by Adam Harvey and Andy Brown. It’s a bit pricey at
$69.95, but it contains a wealth of information on micro hydro
installation. If you’d like some more basic information before
buying this hefty manual, you can download a free pdf on the basics
of micro hydro from Home Power: The Hands-on Journal of Homemade
Power at: http://www.homepower.com/files/beginner/MicrohydroBasics.pdf.
While costs will vary widely depending on the
variables associated with your own home site, such a system could
provide all of your energy needs for as little as $5000…a small
price to pay for energy independence, especially when you divide it
out over the life of the system! With a little routine maintenance,
a micro hydro station will last for decades.
If
you’ve done your research, consulted with the experts, and have
discovered that you have a site that would be suitable for a micro
hydro station, congratulations! You are on your way to providing
energy for your home that is clean, safe, non-toxic, and free, once
the system has paid for itself.
Chuck Hall is a Sustainability Consultant and author.
His latest book, Green Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the
Cradle to the Grave, is now available at the Culture Artist Web
site at www.cultureartist.org. You may contact Chuck by email at:
chuck@cultureartist
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