Hydroelectric power from a stream?

Question

Does anyone know roughly how many houses could be supplied with electricity from a micro-hydroelectric generation system on a stream?

The stream is about 2 meters wide and flows down a hill that is about a 1 in 10 or 1 in 20 gradient for about 300 or 400 meters. I dont have any data on flow in m3 per second. Anyone have a ball park figure on the number of houses that could be supplied? Thanks.

17 minutes gone and no answers... not even the silly answers. Come on, surely someone out there knows?

Answer 1

there are devices that will sit on the stream bed powered by the water flow, see Appropriate Technology
but more usual is to divert it into a pelton wheel or simlar.
A dam will alow you to control the flow to provide electric when required.

check out the Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales; a visit is recommended to see the devices in action. They may have info sheets, but the area is complex enough that you may want to get a book.

Also search for a carbon neutral village in Somerset that have implemented a village hydro scheme

Answer 2

Hydroelectric power is derived from dams. You don't get it from running water per se since the idea is to create a resevoir and "turn on" the power when electricity is needed. In other words, it's how much water that is stored behind the dam that determines how much electricity a hydroelectric dam will produce. Gradient is not important at all. Only elevation differential (how full the dam is) and the cubic feet per second (continuous output) will determine the potential energy produced over the course of a year. Secondly the efficiency of the turbines and electrical system has to be considered before making a final calculation of how many houses could be supplied.

Answer 3

different destructive aspects to hydroelectric ability are that quite some the main appropriate rivers perfect for damming in united statesa. are already dammed and damming small rivers would not produce adequate ability to offset the value of the engineering and shape of a dam. additionally, the silt (sand) that in many circumstances flows with a river into the sea finally is subsidized up at the back of a dam and which capacity that at final the water flow would be decreased and the dam will replace right into a much less useful resource of ability and could finally replace into ineffective. dams are somewhat costly and are challenged in courtroom via environmentalist and the felony expenditures merely advert to the cost. the extra something expenditures, the extra the ability it produces expenditures because of the fact the folk paying for the electric powered energy additionally will ought to pay for the value of the dam as part of their utility costs.