Where there is water, there is hydroelectricity!

You can power a small cabin to the largest resort for a fraction of the cost of other energy sources. Water – harness the power of a clean and renewable energy source!

Micro Hydro Systems Explained

The commercial micro-hydro generators available today use a small turbine connected to an electrical generator or alternator. Water is collected in an intake pipe upstream, travels down to the turbine in a plastic pipe, and is forced through one or more nozzles by its own gravity pressure. The system includes a regulator charge controller that sends power to the batteries and diverts excess power to prevent overheating.
To decide whether a micro-hydro system will work for you, some measurements and calculations have to be made. First, you need to know the vertical drop in meters (called head), and also the amount of water flow available during different seasons measured in liters per second. The basic formula is:

liters/sec x 10 x vertical drop in meters = theoretical power (usable power is approx. 50% of this #)

The more fall and flow that you have, the more potential power you can generate. Our turbines come with different size nozzles which are designed to be switched in and out as the stream conditions change throughout the year.

Keep in mind that a water turbine will produce power 24 hours a day!

Mini Hydro Kit #1

CK9118

800 watt Water Turbine
1 Spring box
1 Magnum 2000 watt Power Panel
1 SWE12-150 Lead Carbon Battery 1.8kWh (150Ah@12V)
2 Dump loads
Daily Useable Capacity: 0.9kWh

The Power of Moving Water

If you have the resource available, micro hydro is the least expensive method (in the field of renewable energy) of providing power to your home. Once in place, a system is not difficult to operate or maintain and its lifespan is literally measured in decades. These small hydro systems will typically provide far more power than a solar (PV) system.

For example: Let’s say you have measured your creek and you have 3 liters/second flow and the drop is 40 meters. Using the formula above, you can expect to produce 600 watts continuous. This will yield 14.4 kWh per day!