Will It Work For Me?

Here's how it works: The 4 basic things you need to know

Using the energy in moving water to generate power is one of the most efficient forms of renewable energy. Hydro power has been used for over a hundred years, with the greatest breakthrough coming in the late 1870's and early 1880's with the development of the Pelton wheel, a new turbine design that was proven to be 90% efficient, with the closest comparable turbine being around 75% efficient. Energy from flowing water taps into a more consistent and predictable resource than other forms of renewable energy. The sun doesn’t always shine and it’s not always windy, but water will always flow downhill, resulting in more output power than a similarly sized wind or solar system.

What is efficiency, anyways? Well, energy is never created, it is only converted. Therefore, there is already a level of kinetic energy available in moving water. A hydro turbine is designed to convert that kinetic energy into mechanical energy in the generator, which produces electrical power. Efficiency determines how much kinetic energy is converted into mechanical energy. Greater efficiencies mean greater energy conversion and ultimately power production!

There are 2 variables in every site that must be determined in order to estimate power production and feasibility. These are HEAD and FLOW.

Head is the pressure created by the change in elevation from the water surface level to the location of the turbine. More head means more power! As a minimum, you will need at least 6 feet of head, or vertical drop, at your site to create power. We can help you determine how much head is available at your site by conducting a site survey with you.

Flow is the rate at which water is moving through your river, stream, or water resource. This can be measured in a variety of ways such as cubic feet per second (cfs), cubic meters per second (cms), million gallons per day (MGD) or a number of other ways.

There are various different system types and designs that we won't get into here, but if you want to do some research you could look for the following turbines: Kaplan, Pelton, Francis, Gorlov, Crossflows, Siphons, and then you have 2 classifications in Reaction and Impulse turbines. Happy Reading!