James Arnold-Baker
Micro Hydro
01 Dec 2009
Micro hydro schemes have long been promoted for the developing world, by charities such as Practical Action http://practicalaction.org/energy/micro_hydro_expertise
But we have neglected the potential for such schemes in the UK. Big hydro plants in the Highlands of Scotland and other hilly areas, make a major contribution to providing green energy.
But we can also add local, low cost power plants in rural areas. These can make small rural communities self-sufficient in electricity. For an overview of some schemes in rural Wales, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8387449.stm
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Comment 1
An original study I completed was concerned with enabling the use of small water courses(and falling water) to generate electricity. It proved difficult due to the natural braking effect of the generator for all the known reasons. For this reason I analysed this effect and now have been able to prove that it can be compensated for. Current state of play is that I can demonstrate a 30% reduction in required input work. I am upgrading as I type to test whether I can increase this.
Written by James Ian Johnston on 08 May 2010, at 09:52 Report this comment
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