Mini-Hydro?

[maple1]

Anyone have a hydro setup? I looked back a half dozen pages & didn't see anything. We've got a good sized brook with quite a bit of elevation drop on the property here, and some wheels in my head are starting to turn.

Links to other info would be great too.

 

[jimbom]

You can't beat Gary Reysa and his Build it Solar site:

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Hydro/hydro.htm

 

[btuser]

What's your electric rate? I know after talking with a hydro guy from PSNH I stopped thinking about it. You end up needing such a large turbine relative to the flow that it isn't cost-effective.

It makes sense if you happen to have your own site work company and plan on stocking your own man-made lake. Ah, to dream.

 

[maple1]

Last bill was at $0.1207/kWh (CDN).

How does that compare to others?

I have done no research until this - just looking at all that water rushing down & by and thinking that is a big waste of energy. Same thing when the oil burner comes on in the summer to heat our DHW, and it's a sunny 25°c out. I know I will have some solar collectors in the near future - was hoping to guage the chance of hydro by seeing if/what others have done.

I'll have to try to get back there & snap a pic of the spot that's got me thinking about this.

 

[btuser]

I'm at about .18kw/h. Self-generation would be great for me, but I'm a hole so wind is out. I'm covered by trees so solar would be a groan. There's a dam with 60' of head in my backyard, but I don't think the local water works would appreciate me stringing poles across their property to get some juice.