Alternative Energy Forums

I’m wondering if anyone has adapted existing materials and items to alternative energy uses. I am fortunate enough to have a roaring brook behind my home. Early calculations are a 10kw system. To be sure there will be slower times in summer but from 11/1 through may there is at least 10kw. I am currently working on burying the penstock to a hydro system. My thought is to put together a dumb set up that uses a domestic electric hot water heater, a small pump (maybe run off the grid) and circulate water through five or six cast iron radiators. I’ll match up a 3kw generator to two 1500watt elements in the tank. I’m wondering if anyone else has tried that. Eventually I expect to run the whole house and use the hot water heat system as the dump for all of the extra that I don’t use.

Any thoughts?

Mike in upstate New York

Hello Mike

I think the best idea would be to allow the extra energy generated go back to the grid and make yourself some extra cash flow during the winter months. I also would like to put in your mind about about using a large tank or maybe several large tanks filled with Oil instead of water. This would be a better solution to keeping heat in the house for longer durations. Oil has a better insulating value then water, you could use a heat transfer pipe to extract the heat from the oil into a water tank for extended uses. I believe if you should need any further aid and assistance there are specialists out there who can help on this yahoo group:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/microhydro/

I hope this helps!

Clint

Thanks,

Looks like some great info at the link provided. It may take me a while to filter through it all. It appears that I can generate 10kw continuously from 11/1thru 6/1 every year. Less in summer. I am trying to come up with a way to use some of the power to heat my house because I currently use oil and we all know how that is going. All of the other heat providers are following suit "because they can" so my only hope is to find my own heat source. "wood is good" seems to be written on my family crest but that is labor intensive and rather dirty what with ash, smoke etc.. Also my wife is not a big fan of the wood stove. So I intend to use some electricity to heat or at least supplement my heating needs. That’s why I was looking at water heaters. Seemed like a cheap and easy way to set up a system since I have several old cast iron radiators to work with. I do intend to tie into the grid, mostly to reduce the need for a battery bank but also genuinely to share a little. Our local provider will not pay me much but whatever I send out is that much less coal/oil/ natural gas needed by my neighbors.

Thanks for the links. May take me a few days to get through all of it but rest assured I will.

Mike

The situation you describe is pretty typical Micro Hydro application. The Idea of using your hot water as a load dump for frequency regulation is perfect. Water is fine for this as it will hold a lot of energy. Larger Micro to Small Hydro systems make this kind of dump impractical and other regulation means are employed.

I wouldn't use an oil bath for a bunch of other reasons not to mention the showers would be very sticky [8O]

As you noted, you have calculated the power potential. Make sure you accommodate friction and Hydro turbine-generator efficiency loss into the penstock and turbine hydro generator computation too.

It is not unusual to lose 28-30% in the conversion water to wire.

Have fun with your Hydro-energy adventure!
JessW
-----------------

Below is a simple calculation that includes the efficiency loss too:

Potential Water to Wire Power in kW is computed from:

Head in ft (.433 lb pressure per foot h20)

x

Flow in CFS

Head(ft) x Flow(CFS) /11.8 x (72% efficiency of typ hydro) = kW

JessW

See the hydropower calculator at --
http://www.DoradoVista.com/DV_Hydro_Powe...http://www.DoradoVista.com/DV_Hydro_Power_Calcul

Mike,
If you have an available 10 kw behind your house you are a very lucky man. Your plan is entirely practical. You use an electronic load controller (ELC) which will automatically use any excess electricity to heat water.
This will allow your turbine and generator to run at a constant speed.
You may also be able to sell into the grid.

watermotor

(Oct 15 2009 05:09 AM)Guest Wrote:  I’m wondering if anyone has adapted existing materials and items to alternative energy uses. I am fortunate enough to have a roaring brook behind my home. Early calculations are a 10kw system. To be sure there will be slower times in summer but from 11/1 through may there is at least 10kw. I am currently working on burying the penstock to a hydro system. My thought is to put together a dumb set up that uses a domestic electric hot water heater, a small pump (maybe run off the grid) and circulate water through five or six cast iron radiators. I’ll match up a 3kw generator to two 1500watt elements in the tank. I’m wondering if anyone else has tried that. Eventually I expect to run the whole house and use the hot water heat system as the dump for all of the extra that I don’t use.

Any thoughts?

Mike in upstate New York