Microhydro Power Plant

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nvyseal
nvyseal Solar Expert Posts: 108 ✭✭✭✭
in Solar Water Pumping #1
I ran across this today and thought i'd pass it along to you all. Quite an interesting read on how a man built a microhydro plant.

All I can say is it was a LOT of work, and if you got as interested in it as I did, I also say "poor Gabriel"

Ever want to see how to make transformers by hand - read this. It really is a great read, plus visit the rest of the site and see him build a round house, also quite interesting.

http://ludens.cl/paradise/turbine/turbine.html
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  • russ
    russ Solar Expert Posts: 593 ✭✭
    #2
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    Impressive job and workmanship!
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  • drees
    drees Solar Expert Posts: 482 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    Man - those two guys can sure dig a trench! For example, they dug a trench across the road, buried the pipe and covered it in 2 hours - would take me a day to do just that one section!
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #4
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    Very cool project, thanks for posting!
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  • jcgee88
    jcgee88 Solar Expert Posts: 154 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant
    nvyseal wrote: »
    I ran across this today and thought i'd pass it along to you all. Quite an interesting read on how a man built a microhydro plant.

    All I can say is it was a LOT of work, and if you got as interested in it as I did, I also say "poor Gabriel"

    Everybody needs a neighbor like Gabriel! He's the closest
    thing to Superman I have seen.

    It is an impressive body of work, but I keep wondering
    whether it would have been a lot easier to just put up a
    wind mill or a solar array.

    John
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  • drees
    drees Solar Expert Posts: 482 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    The benefit of the micro-hydro is that he doesn't have to deal with batteries as his water flow seems to be very consistent.

    Wind/solar would mean battery storage is is not cheap - and I'm sure that labor in Chile is very inexpensive compared to wind/solar/batteries.
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  • russ
    russ Solar Expert Posts: 593 ✭✭
    #7
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    Yeah - No sun = no power and no wind = no power.

    As long as the stream runs he is generating - better solution by far but few have the possibility.
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  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    #8
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    He is generating a HUGE amount of energy from that stream compared to what he could get with solar or wind using a similar investment. 4kW 24 hours a day = 96kWh/day, I think a lot of off gridders would be happy producing that in a month!
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  • GreenerPower
    GreenerPower Solar Expert Posts: 264 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    Impressive ! That's no "micro" hydro. Have to carry the hydro head/gen with a wheel barrel, it's "kilo" hydro :)
    GP
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  • arkieoscar
    arkieoscar Solar Expert Posts: 101 ✭✭
    #10
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    John Wiles would not approve!
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  • AntronX
    AntronX Solar Expert Posts: 462 ✭✭
    #11
    Re: Microhydro Power Plant

    Impressive transformer making job! Imagine how much copper he saved by running 2000 feet of 12 AWG wire instead of 1 - 2 AWG that would be needed to get similar efficiency at 240V. To carry 4KW his line current is only 2 Amps!
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