Can you use city water for personal hydo-power?

nobody928
nobody928 Solar Expert Posts: 62 ✭✭✭✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
It seems like hydro power turbines are gaining popularity. Is there anyone using hydro power from personal city water? What kind of watage are modern day personal turbines producing?
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Can you use city water for personal hydo-power?
    nobody928 wrote: »
    It seems like hydro power turbines are gaining popularity. Is there anyone using hydro power from personal city water? What kind of watage are modern day personal turbines producing?

    Wouldn't that depend on your particular water service? In most places the water isn't free, and you'd soon find the cost per for producing electric that way to be rather expensive I'd think. To say nothing of the question of having sufficient pressure and flow to operate a turbine.

    Anyone want to try it? I'm on a well so I know it won't work here!
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,642 admin
    #3
    Re: Can you use city water for personal hydo-power?

    For water at your home--probably not. Too low of volume and too low of initial water head.

    However, our water districts out here do use turbines to generate electricity when dropping water pressure (tanks/reservoirs 100's to ~1,000' elevation change). I would guess it saves a lot on pumping losses (pump high, wasting energy to bring the water back down to the lowlands--at least I remember a yearly newsletter that said something like this many years ago).

    http://news.thomasnet.com/green_clean/2013/01/17/power-of-the-pipes-lucidenergy-generates-electricity-within-water-utility-pipes/

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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