Comments on: Living Off-Grid: Our Micro Hydro Alternative Energy System

In reply to Buz Watkins. Hi Buz, How is your site going? Can you provide me with further details of your 5 kw system. Regards, Steve...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-144

How many gallons per hour do you use to turn your turbine? And do you know how many rpm's the wheel turns at?

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-143

We also have a hydro water system. Runs most items, except eg. cement mixer has a capacitor. My small freezer runs ok (without capacitors) but I now want to add a fridge. I will have to add a rel...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-142

In reply to Ray. Hi Ray I can't understand the difference between kWh and KW. If you produce say, 5MW of electricity, how many kilow...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-141

In reply to Jennifer Lance. Sorry, but you have that backwards. Kilowatts refers to your rate of energy production (power is measure...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-139

I suspect that you have very pressure drop through your 2 in pipe and you may increase a lot your electricity production, if you need. by a 4 inches but cost is prohibitive. Felicitation for your...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-137

In reply to Michele. It was on the Trillium Falls trail in Prairie Creek off 101

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-135

In reply to Jennifer Lance. Have you tried to get a goat to eat the poison oak? We borrow our neigbors goat to eat ours, but I still...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-134

I love the idea of this. We live in Southern Oregon on the CA border and I am covered with poison oak right now!! My daughter saw the pic of your kids near the giant redwood in Parents magazine a...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-133

In reply to Ryan. Not quite. kWh is a unit of energy (1 kWh = 3600 kJ). kW is a unit of power...the rate of energy is generated, con...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-132

Great device and the freedom from electric suppliers and rsing energy costs is one of the most attractice facts! :)

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-131

What if you were to store the water between two tanks. Then durning the day solar and wind would pump water up the hill and store the water!! Then, whne you need power on still/cloudy/snowy days ...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-129

Just thought some of you wold like to take a look at this... http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/news/waste-not-want-not-with-dmu-students-electric-idea/ No streams needed, perfect for urban areas.

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-128

Wow! That is so cool. It would be nice to have a micro hydro resource nearby ... so much for living in the burbs ;-)

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-126

What is really needed is a constant level moving water source and unfortunately the only place that comes to mind is the outflow canal from hydro electric plants. Benjamin Koshkin

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-125

Mike n.... Alternators, at least all common alternators, do not have magnets. They use electro-magnets. This makes them easy to regulate, and no commutator, just slip rings. Well technically a ge...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-124

We don't use an alternator so I'm sorry I can't help.

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-123

Hi Jennifer, Great bit of information. I am just acquiring all the components to build our first micro hydro system. We presently have 1200' of 2" pvc pipe buried, with a static pressure of 75 ps...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-122

You know I would do all I could do to be off the grid just as fast as I could. My wife and I don't make a lot of money. I know to start out gong green is expensive. Why dos en't the government st...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-120

Lisa, It depends on whether or not you have water rights. Some of my neighbors get permits from the forest service to put their intakes in the creeks on public land.

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-119

hi thanks for sharing ! We're in Buncombe county, in a watershed, do you think its legal to do this?

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-118

Hi, Just wondering how many rpm you will produce by your turbine that at the end,runs the shaft of generatore?Thank you

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-117

HI would like to make a website called. Champions of micro hydro, I have been doing it for almost 30 years. If you still have a problem with your intake i have the solution. Would you like to be ...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-116

Hi. Thats a nice runner you have> I have a system using a reverse centrifugal pump thats actually heating my house at the moment. I am norteast of you in Cape Breton N.S. Canada. My system is pro...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-115

KWH is a unit of power. KW is the unit for the rate. you have about 2KW constantly for a total of 45.12 KWH per day. just clarifying. neat system.

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-114

Cory, I know PVC is nasty, but what are the alternatives? The poly pipe is not much better, and there is now way we could afford to use that much steel, nor would it bend as needed down the creek...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-113

I like what you have going but poly vinyl chloride pipes are hazardous when they are used without the water first going through a filtering system before reuse.Have you considered replacing them ...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-112

nice set up i live at the end of canal in Florida that drains about 72 sq miles the water is always flowing it is a saltwater canal that leads into the gulf sometimes the water goes the other way...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-111

Stihy, 1. We use an old Trace inverter 4024. 2. We have batteries to store excess power 3. It is automated. The turbine doesn't shut off, but our Enermaxer (heat shunt) burns off excess power whe...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-110

Looks good, i'm fan of this types of projects, few questions: 1.What kind of converter do you use for ac conversion 2.Do you use some sort of battery packs to level consumption 3.Do you plan to u...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-109

Great site this bluelivingideas.com and I am really pleased to see you have what I am actually looking for here and this this post is exactly what I am interested in. I shall be pleased to become...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-108

Tim, the biggest problem we had was when a forest fire burned up all the pipe and wire. Luckily, our home owner's insurance covered the costs. There has also been a tree that fell on the pipe bef...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-107

Great write up. It definitely sounds like a nice setup. Have you had any major problems with it?

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-106

Very well described, including the standing in freezing water during a storm. Overall it sounds so trouble free and low-cost. I wonder where I can find a stream in New York City.....

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-105

Also, if you want more details, there is a great chart for sizing your wheel to the speed of the motor at Hartvisgen-Hydro (target rpm pdf files). http://h-hydro.com/

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-103

KWH refers to Kilowatt hours. We make that amount continuously, not in a day. Another way to look at it is we are making 70 amps multiplied by 26. 8 volts (float voltage on batteries), so it is 1...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-102

"We make about 2 KWH with our micro-hydro system. " In how many hours?

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-101

Jennifer, Thanks for posting - nice description of a nice system. Can you confirm one or two points? 230 psi static = ca. 16 atmospheres pressure = about 530 ft of drop from your creek intact thr...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-100

Jennifer, Could you perhaps provide more detail on the system, and post it at appropedia.com? You would be able to make the design 'open', meaning it's available to anyone to use without worrying...

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-99

Very cool system. I love the idea of hydro and only wish more people had it as an option for their power generation.

https://bluelivingideas.com/?p=1051/#comment-98