How to Build a Micro Hydropower Plant

Hydroelectric power (hydropower) is a largely untapped source of energy that you can harness without producing harmful emissions. The Earth's atmosphere acts like an engine, doing all the work to move water up to feed rivers and streams. This water then flows back down, turning its potential energy into energy of motion. You can use this energy source by building a basic micro hydroelectric power plant.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Flowing water
• Water channel
• Water wheel
• Pulley
• Belt
• Turbine
• Rechargeable batteries

1. Determine if you have sufficient water flowing with sufficient strength. A lazy stream probably isn't worth your effort, but a rapidly flowing river or stream (especially one that has a good slope) may be suitable for a micro hydropower plant.

2. Build or install a water channel to direct part or all of the flowing water. The more sloped the water channel, the more power you can get out of the system.

3. Add the water wheel assembly. The flowing water forces the water wheel to turn, which spins a rod connected to a pulley.

4. Attach the pulley to a turbine with a belt. Choose the appropriate pulley size so as to ensure the correct rotation rate for the turbine. This rate determines the frequency of the power generated.

5. Connect the turbine to a battery or set of batteries. Make sure they're rechargeable batteries that are able to handle this type of application.

6. Wire the batteries to the power system of the house or building. Take appropriate precautions for dealing with electricity when you do this.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're resourceful, you can build your own turbine. The basic components are a magnet and metal conductors. You can also build your own water channel using lumber.

• Although hydroelectric power plants don't release gaseous emissions, they can affect the ecology of the water source that powers them. So you must be careful to avoid harming the various forms of wildlife that live in and around the water.

• You may face various legal restrictions on building a hydropower plant in a certain area. Check with a local authority to avoid any difficulties with the law.

• Check with local authorities if you plan to connect the power plant to your house or building electrical system. You may be legally required to call in an inspector to look at your work.

Resources

• See an illustration of micro hydropower plants at Green-Trust.