Micro

Hydro Power in
WNC

Oct 27, 2007

Andrews, NC

Hydro, Driven by Solar Power

Existing hydroelectric plants (yellow) and potential high head/low power energy sites (orange) in the conterminous United
States. Purple represents areas excluded from hydropower development due to Federal statutes and policies.
Source: Water Energy Resources of the United States with Emphasis on Low Head/Low Power Resources (p. 47), U.S.
Department of Energy

Hydro power in USA, Canada and the World

US Supply

Most of that global

hydro power is
produced by largescale hydroelectric
plants

Today, we will be talking about

micro

hydro

Small in scale
Minimum environmental impact
Site specific: you must have the resource
Affordable.
Consistent: Produces continuously, 24/7

We dont
need a river,
just some
falling water

Types of Systems
Turbines can be of many forms.
Listed are a few of the major types.
High head

Medium head

Low head

Impulse turbines Pelton

Turgo

cross-flow
multi-jet Pelton
Turgo

cross-flow

Reaction
turbines

Francis
Pump-as-turbine
(PAT)

propeller
Kaplan

Pelton and Turgo

Impulse jet of water

Banki and Crossflow

Impulse sheet of water

Banki

Crossflow

Francis
Reaction Turbines
Submerged in the flow;
driven by the pressure differential

Kaplan

http://www.waterwheelfactory.com/francis.htm
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/f-ene/hydro/english/products/equipment/index01_2.htm

Turbines are turned by water.

That turning motion drives a generator
which produced electricity.

You need two things to make power

Head and Flow

Power Estimates

Gross Power Calculations

Power output is proportional to the combination of head and flow

Power (watts) = Head (ft) * Flow (GPM)

10

The equation assumes a turbine efficiency of 53%.

Actual efficiency varies with conditions.

Examples

Turtle Island
Mollies Branch

Turtle Island

Stream flow = 300 GPM

(1/2 of flow is 150 GPM)
Total Head is 140 feet
Gross Power Estimate =
(140 ft * 150 GPM)/10= 2100 W

Mollies Branch

Mollies Branch has a flow of 300 GPM

(1/2 of flow is 150 GPM)
Total Head is 110 feet
Gross Power Estimate =
(110 ft * 150 GPM)/10= 1650 W

Why is this gross power?

These are not accurate calculations because we
used the gross or static head instead of the net
or dynamic head.
A more accurate power calculation is made after
calculating pipe friction losses.
Stay tuned................

...or Charts from Manufacturer

P.M. Alternator output in watts

FEET OF NET HEAD

GAL/M

25

50

75

100

200

300

45

80

30

45

130

180

10

40

75

95

210

300

15

25

75

110

150

320

450

20

40

100

160

240

480

600

30

65

150

250

350

650

940

50

130

265

420

600

1100

1500

100

230

500

750

1100

1500

200

580

900

1300

Measuring Head

Measuring Head

5 stick with carpenters level

Sight level
Water level
Pipe with pressure gauge
GPS Unit
Transit
Topo map
Altimeter

Measuring Head

5 stick with level (3 people)

Measuring Head

Sight level (2 people)

Eye level

Remember,
you dont
have to
follow the
creek.

Measuring Head
Water level and measuring tape (2 people)

Water level

Measuring Head
Transit
Most accurate if you have the equipment

Measuring Head

Pipe with pressure gauge at

the bottom
Could use garden hose(s)

2.31

feet = 1 psi

This gauge reads 38 psi

38 psi x 2.31 feet/psi = 88 ft
of static head

Measuring Head
GPS, altimeter,
topo map
Difference in
elevation readings

Measuring Flow

Measuring Flow

Units
GPM:

gallons per minute

CFM: cubic feet per minute
CFS: cubic feet per second

How much to use?

Dont

take the whole creek!

Use minimum flow
Avoid taking more than of the flow

Water temp could be effected!!!

Let

the ecosystem thrive

Methods of Flow Assessment

5-gallon bucket
Small

stream, small waterfall

Float method
Larger,

flat, uniform stream

V-notch Weir
Rectangular Weir
Make several measurements to assess
seasonal variation

5 gallon bucket

5 gallon bucket

If the measured flow using a 5 gallon bucket

and a stop watch was 5 gallons in 1.5
seconds, how many GPM would this be?

5 gallon bucket

If the measured flow using a 5 gallon bucket and a

stop watch was 5 gallons in 1.5 seconds, how many
GPM would this be?

5 gal
60 sec

200GPM
1.5 sec 1 min

Float method
Big, flat, uniform creek

Float method
Flow (ft3/s) = Velocity (ft/s) x Cross Sectional Area (ft2)

Float method
1.

Calculate the average depth

Lay a board across the stream, measure the depth every

foot, average the depths

Float method
2.

Calculate the cross sectional area

Area (ft2) = Average depth (ft) x Width (ft)

Float method
3.

Calculate velocity

Measure where you measured the area, an orange makes a good float, start well
upstream, a 10 span is good, average multiple measurements

Float method
4.

Correct for Friction

Flow (ft3/s) = Velocity (ft/s) x Cross

Sectional Area (ft3) x .83

Multiply x 0.83 to correct for friction

on the bottom of the stream

Float Method
So, if these guys measure this 3 wide
stream and get an average depth of
8 and it takes an orange an
average 5 seconds to go 10 feet,
what is the flow in GPM?

Area = 3 x 8 x (1/12) = 2 ft2

Velocity = 10 ft/5 s = 2 ft/s
Flow = 2 ft2 x 2 ft/ s = 4 ft3/s
4 ft3/s x 7.48 gal/1 ft3 x 60s/1 min = 1795 gpm
Correct for friction, 1795 gpm x .83 = 1490 gpm

Weir Method

For larger flows or

more accurate
measurements
Small

Larger

V-notch
Rectangular

All you needs is depth

and the table

V-notch Weir

Rectangular Weir

Penstock
the pipe

The Intake
Diverting clean water into the penstock
Screen
Steam Flow

The intakes job:

Filter and
Settle
Start of Penstock

Build it either:

Simple and easy

to repair
Or

Bullet-proof

Steam Flow

The Intake
Diverting clean water into the penstock
Overflow

A dirty
creek
may need
more
settling
time
Screen

Start of Penstock

Penstock
A full pipe; delivering clean water to the turbine

Pipe can be a Considerable Cost

up to 40%

Factors to Consider: Penstock

surface roughness
design pressure
method of jointing
weight and ease of installation
accessibility of the site
terrain
design life and maintenance
weather conditions
availability
relative cost
likelihood of structural damage

Burying Pipe

Burying a pipe line removes

the biggest eyesore of a
hydro scheme.
It is vital to ensure a buried
penstock is properly and
meticulously installed
subsequent

problems such
as leaks are much harder to
detect and rectify.

Penstock Support System

PVC likes to stay straight
HDPE can follow the contour of the ground

Pipe Friction Losses

Must use charts to calculate head loss due
to pipe friction
Flow varies with D3

pipe can flow 8x more water than 2 pipe

Lets do an example
Turtle Island
140 ft static head
Pipe = 3 HDPE (High Density Poly Ethylene)
What is friction loss for 1300 pipe for a
flow of 100 GPM?
What is the dynamic or net head?

Lets do an example:
PIPE FRICTION LOSS

Polyethylene SDR - Pressure Rated Pipe

Pressure Loss from Friction in Feet of Head per 100 Feet of Pipe

Flow US
GP
M
0.5

0.75

1.25

1.5

1.13

0.28

0.09

0.02

4.05

1.04

0.32

0.09

0.04

8.6

2.19

0.67

0.19

0.09

0.02

14.6

3.73

1.15

0.3

0.14

0.05

22.1

5.61

1.75

0.46

0.21

0.07

2.5

90

13.5

5.71

1.98

95

15

6.31

2.19

100

16.5

6.92

2.42

150

34.5

14.7

5.11

25

8.7

200
300

18.4

Lets do an example

Turtle Island
140 ft head
3 HDPE (High Density Poly Ethylene)
What is friction loss for 1300 pipe for a flow of 100 GPM?
What is the dynamic head?

Chart says well lose 2.42 of head per 100 of

pipe.
We have 13 x 100 of pipe, so 13 x 2.42 = 31.5
of total head loss
Dynamic or net head = 140 31.5 = 108.5

Nozzles

Nozzles
The flowrate from the
penstock is controlled
by properly sizing the
nozzle(s) at the
turbine.

Nozzles

What size nozzles and how many would you

recommend if one wants to use about of a
stream with 300 GPM of measured flow with 100
ft of head (pelton wheel)?

Nozzles
Maximum efficient flow at various heads

From Harris Hydro

(FIGURES IN GALLONS/MIN)

FEET OF NET HEAD

# of
nozzles

25

50

75

100

200

300

17

25

30

35

50

60

35

50

60

70

100

120

52

75

90

105

150

70

100

120

140

200

300 gpm/2 = 150 gpm usable flow

150 gpm/4 = 37.5 gpm per nozzle

(4) 7/16 nozzles should do it

Nozzles
NOZZLE FLOW CHART from ES & D

FLOW RATE IN U.S. GALLONS PER MINUTE

Head
Feet

PSI

Nozzle Diameter, inches

1/8

2.2

10

4.3

15

6.5

20

8.7

30

3/16

RPM

1/4

5/16

7/16

3/8

1/2

5/8

3/4

7/8

6.18

8.4

11

17.1

24.7

33.6

43.9

460

3.88

6.05

8.75

11.6

15.6

24.2

35

47.6

62.1

650

2.68

4.76

7.4

10.7

14.6

19

29.7

42.8

58.2

76

800

1.37

3.09

5.49

8.56

12.4

16.8

22

34.3

49.4

67.3

87.8

925

13

1.68

3.78

6.72

10.5

15.1

20.6

26.9

42

60.5

82.4

107

1140

40

17.3

1.94

4.37

7.76

12.1

17.5

23.8

31.1

48.5

69.9

95.1

124

1310

50

21.7

2.17

4.88

8.68

13.6

19.5

26.6

34.7

54.3

78.1

106

139

1470

60

26

2.38

5.35

9.51

14.8

21.4

29.1

38

59.4

85.6

117

152

1600

80

34.6

2.75

6.18

11

17.1

24.7

33.6

43.9

68.6

98.8

135

176

1850

100

43.3

3.07

6.91

12.3

19.2

27.6

37.6

49.1

76.7

111

150

196

2070

120

52

3.36

7.56

13.4

21

30.3

41.2

53.8

84.1

121

165

215

2270

150

65

3.76

8.95

15

23.5

33.8

46

60.1

93.9

135

184

241

2540

200

86.6

4.34

9.77

17.4

27.1

39.1

53.2

69.4

109

156

213

278

2930

250

108

4.86

10.9

19.9

30.3

43.6

59.4

77.6

121

175

238

311

3270

300

130

5.32

12

21.3

33.2

47.8

65.1

85.1

133

191

261

340

3591

400

173

6.14

13.8

24.5

38.3

55.2

75.2

98.2

154

221

301

393

4140

Micro Turbines

Harris Hydro

Efficient, durable, battery

charging pelton turbine with
an adjustable permanent
magnet generator.
20-600 feet of head
2-250 GPM of flow
1 nozzle $1800
2 nozzle $1950
4 nozzle $2150

707-986-7771
delejo@humboldt.net

Energy Systems & Design

Stream Engine

Brushless, permanent magnet

alternator which is adjustable
Capable of outputs over 1 kilowatt
Heads from 6 to 300 feet.
Equipped with a rugged bronze turgo
wheel, universal nozzles (adaptable to
sizing from 1/8 to1 inch), and a digital
multimeter which is used to measure
output current.

www.microhydropower.com

2 Nozzle Bronze
4 Nozzle Bronze
High Voltage Option
High Current Option

$2395
$2545
$200
$100

Energy Systems & Design

Low Head Propeller Turbine

Water Baby
Uses the same generator as the
Stream Engine, however the water Operates much the same as the
turbine component uses a low
Stream Engine but requires very
head propeller design.
little water (pelton wheel)
Will operate on as little as 3 gpm
heads of 2 feet up to 10 feet.
but requires at least 100 feet of
At the maximum head, the output
head.
is 1 kW.
At a head of 100 feet and a flow of
3 gpm the output is 25 watts; at 24
gpm the output is 250 watts.

LH1000 with Draft Tube

$1995

Baby Generator, 1 Nozzle

(12/24 volt)

High Voltage Option

$200 extra

Extra Nozzles (installed)

$120 ea

High Current Option

$100 extra

High Voltage (48/120 volt)

$100

www.microhydropower.com

$1395

Hydro Induction Power

Good for long wire runs, 60' - 500'

head, 10 - 600 gpm

The units produce 3-Phase 120V,

240V, or 480V 'wild' (unregulated)
AC, which is then stepped down to
battery voltage.
The heavy-duty brushless alternator
is housed on the Harris Housing
Uses the Harris bronze Pelton Wheel
for flows up to 200 gpm and the
bronze Turgo Runner for flows of 200
to 600 gpm.

www.hipowerhydro.com

HV 600 with 2 Nozzles $2500

HV 600 with 4 Nozzles $2600
HV 1200 with 4 Nozzles $3000
HV 1800 with 4 Nozzles $3500
HV 3600 with 4 Nozzles $5000
Turgo option
$600

Hydro Induction Power

Now offer a new LOW VOLTAGE

(12V/24V), brushless unit (48V coming in
2006).
It can generate either 12V or 24V with
pressures from 20psi to 150psi (46' - 400').
Above this pressure, it will generate 48V.
Lots of accessories

12/24V Hydro with 1 Nozzle: $1350

12/24V Hydro with 2 Nozzles:$1400
12/24V Hydro with 3 Nozzles:$1450
12/24V Hydro with 4 Nozzles:$1500
Upgrade from Harris Hydro: $500
Turgo option

www.homehydro.com

$600

Powerpal

Low head model

A simple AC single-phase, brushless

permanent magnet alternator is
attached to a propeller turbine.
Electricity passes along a wire and
into a house, where an electronic
load controller stabilizes the voltage
to 110V or 220V to protect electrical
appliances during use.
Many models available (see chart,
next slide)

The 200 watt unit needs

550 gallons per minute

www.powerpal.com
MHG-200LH

MHG-500LH

MHG-1000LH

Water head (ft)

4.92

4.92

4.92

Water flow (gpm)

555

1110

2061

200W

500W

1000W

Output Power

Powerpal

High head model

The Same AC single-phase,

brushless PMt alternator that is
used for the Low Head Series is
used here and attached to a Turgo
Turbine.
Also comes with an electronic load
controller (ELC)

www.powerpal.com
MHG200HH

MHG500HH

Water head (ft)

16.4

19.68

22.96

26.24

29.52

32.8

36.08

Water flow
(gpm)

100

101

117

125

133

141

144

160w

200w

275w

325w

390w

460w

520w

Output Power

Canyon Hydro

Serious engineering

100 KW Canyon Crossflow

Canyon 751

gpm

KW

50

139

100

Canyon 2435

gpm

KW

1665

12

197

2415

36

200

277

3335

101

300

340

15

4084

185

www.canyonhydro.com

Alternative Power & Machine

Economy models
Permanent magnet units
Accessories
Exercise Bicycle Type Battery
Chargers, etc.
Niche: Ease of maintenance
and adjustment

www.apmhydro.com

Make your own

www.otherpower.com

Other
www.ampair.com....its a wind and hydro turbine
$1300

The Jack Rabbit, just drop

it into the river
$1295
www.bali-i.com/hydro/jackrabbit-prod.htm

Turbine Housing

Many options. Main point: allow the water to fall away from
the turbine runner and not bounce back onto the runner
and to divert the water back to the stream.

BOS.Balance of System

What is the BOS?

DC only system (small

cabin)

Conventional AC
system (house)

Charge controller
Batteries
Inverter

Charge controller
Batteries

ie. Xantrex C Series Charge Controller

12,24,48VDC
automaticallydirectsextrapowertoa
dedicatedloadsuchasanelectric
waterheaterandensuresbatteriesare
neverover-charged.
Model#isratedDCcurrent

Model

List Price ($US)

C35

$119.00

C40

$159.00

C60

$199.00

www.xantrex.com

Diversion Load, aka Dump Load

Usually a resistive load like a heater

At least as large as the full turbine
output and within the current limit of
the charge controller
Small hydro system = small amounts
of heat
Use waste heat for water heating, air
heating
Usually not enough heat for
domestic use (1kW = 3412 BTU)
Head lights as dump load for wind turbine

Outback Inverters

Xantrex Inverters

Batteryless Grid-Tie Options

Systems available for PV and wind
Still a special system for Microhydro
Contact Hydro Induction Power
www.hipowerhydro.com

AC Systems

Larger systems can be

AC, no battery
If

the continuous output of

a system is high enough to
meet your needs for
surging capacity, no
battery/inverter subsystem
is required, and AC can be
generated directly.

Storing Renewable
Energy: Batteries

Chemical engines used

to push electrons around

Battery Bank Sizing

A battery based
alternative energy
system will not be
effective if it is not
sized correctly

Battery Bank Sizing

Battery storage for PV and Wind systems
typically require 3 or more days of battery
storage
Hydro systems run all the time
Batteries in a hydro system typically need to
store energy for less than a day
Often, the battery is sized to provide
sufficient current to the inverter rather than
an amount of storage

Life Expectancy and cost

At least 5 years
Often over 10 years or
1500 deep cycles
Shipping is expensive
Cost is about $200 per
6V battery

Rest Voltage vs. State of Charge

Hydrometer

Measures density of liquid with

respect to water
The electrolyte has greater specific
gravity at greater states of charge
Careful opening cells,
contamination of the electrolyte
solution is possible

Temperature
Batteries get sluggish
at cold temperatures
Usable capacity drops
radically below 40 F
Self Discharge
happens rapidly above
120 F
Keep them between
55 F 100 F

Rates of Charge and Discharge

Recommended rates are C/10 C/20
Using a C/5 rate will cause much more electrical
energy to be loss as heat
This heat can damage battery plates
Example

440

Ampere-hour battery
How many amps added for a C/10
How many amps added for a C/20

Equalizing Charge
After time individual cells vary in their state
of charge
If difference is greater than .05 volts
equalize
Controlled overcharge at C/20 rate for 7
hours

Battery Care
Dont discharge beyond 80%
C/10 C/20 rate
Keep batteries at room temperature
Use distilled water
Size batteries properly
Equalize every few months
Keep batteries and connections clean

Connecting Cells

Amperage and voltage in battery can be increased

by arranging the cells in two ways
Series

One path for electrons to follow

Connect + to
Increases voltage

Parallel

Multiple paths for electrons to follow

Connect (+ to +) and (- to -)
Increases amperage

Wire Sizing

Wire Sizing for DC Applications

Voltage drop is caused by a conductors
electrical resistance
This voltage drop can be used to calculate
power loss

VDI Voltage drop Index

Easier method for determining wire size
What you need to know

Amps

(Watts/volts)
Feet (one-way distance)
Acceptable % volt drop
Voltage

How to Use Formula and Chart

Example: 1 KW, 24 volt system, 50 feet,
3% drop
Amps = 1000 watts/ 24 volts = 41.67 amps

VDI = 41.67 amps * 50 feet = 28.9

3% * 24 volts

VDI Chart
24V VDI = 28.9
2 AWG wire
Thats pretty big wire
What if we make it a
48 volt system?

How to Use Formula and Chart

Example: 1 KW, 48 volt system, 50 feet,
3% drop
Amps = 1000 watts/ 48 volts = 20.8 amps

VDI = 20.8 amps * 50 feet = 7.23

3% * 48 volts

VDI Chart
48V VDI = 7.2
8 AWG wire
Thats better
(smaller, less $,
same losses).

Load Assessment

Hydro Load Assessment

How do you know how

much energy you need?
Electric

bill
Average US household
uses 850 kWhrs/month = 28
kWhrs/day
Also need capacity: what is
the largest load to run?
Do a load assessment!!

Load Assessment

A house on RE must use less electricity

Use

less energy! produce the Negawatt!

Efficient appliances
CF lighting
Newer models (EnergyStar)

Divert

heating loads to solar, gas, etc

Load Assessment

Youll need for each appliance

Power

consumption

In Watts
Rating will be stamped on appliance

Number

of hours/day appliance is on

Simple example: a 15 W CF bulb is on for an

average of 5 hrs/day
day: (15 W)(5 hrs/day) = 75 Whrs/day
month: (75 Whrs/day)(30 days) = 2,250 Whrs
= 2.25 kWhrs

Incentives and
Regulations

NC Renewable Energy Tax Credits

35% for all technologies

Can take tax credit over 5 years
No more than half of tax liability
No refund based on tax credit
Credit Limits
$1,400 residential solar domestic
hot water
$3,500 residential active space
heating, combined solar hot water
and space heating, passive space
heating
$10,500 residential biomass, wind,
hydroelectric and photovoltaic or
solar thermal electric

NC GreenPower Program
To improve the quality of the environment by encouraging
the development of renewable energy resources
through consumers voluntary purchase of green power.

Premium paid if approved by

the Low Impact Hydropower
Institute (LIHI)

www.ncgreenpower.org

Other State Incentives

www.dsireusa.org

Regulations
The US Army Corps of Engineers has jurisdiction over virtually all
waterways in the United States. Any discharge of dredged or fill material
into all waters of the United States, which includes rearranging rocks
within a streambed, would require notification of the Corps per Section
404 of the Clean Water Act.
Contact the local Army Corps of Engineers office about your proposed
project beforeyou begin construction. They will help decide whether or
not a permit is required.

Local Installers

Wrap up: Site Assessment

Head
Flow
Pipe Length
Wire Run
Goals

Micro

Hydro Power in
WNC

Questions