Off Grid Micro Hydro - Building a 6kW Off Grid EMPIRE

We visit an Off grid Micro Hydro EMPIRE with 6kW of micro hydro and solar combined. The power system includes a low-head high-flow hydro turbine (overshot) as well as a high-head low-flow turbine (Pelton wheel). Together they provide reliable power to a 'normal' house with all the usual appliances, as well as a large shop.

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[milespostlethwaite]

One thing I noticed is that a 440 foot pipe with 5” ID on a 24 foot head is not big enough to deliver the amount of water required for 850 Watts.
At 316 gpm you will lose 7 feet of head due to friction losses. So 316 times 17 feet (dynamic) head, times gravity, times turbine efficiency - say 55% at best - would give you a maximum output of about 640 Watts.
Low head systems are always very sensitive to losses so all in all I think you did well to get 495 Watts.
Great video.

[scottpecora]

Over in Idaho in the Frank Church Wilderness Area on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, we have a pelton wheel with a max out put of 45kw. We have a 1120ft head starting at 12" shallow wall PVC when decreases to 10" then goes into a thick wall 8", down to a six. From 4" diameter and smaller the pipe is metal 20ft from the powerhouse, it drops to 4" metal, 10ft later it drops to 3". At the pipe enters the power house it decreases to 2", 2ft from the turbine it drops to 1" then the two nozzles are 1/2"-3/4" depending upon time of year and water volume. At the turbine we have a static pressure of 260psi with a water volume of 250-300 gallons per minute with a maxium out put of 45kw with a governed turbine speed of 1800rpm with a pelton diameter of 28". One thing over looked by many is the transition point from m one diameter to the next. With metal, it's easier to shape a cone, permitting a smooth transition to each smaller size where a lot of people just drop from one size to the next, creating a lot of turbulence at each size reduction. Reducing your gpm because of friction in the pipe at each reduction.

[ryanjones]

My dad is the OG of this set up

He built it back in the 80s before any of these small scale hydro techniques were written about.

We lived in the mountains of Washington state 5mi from the nearest neighbor and powered the house just like any house in the city….. just don’t let the intake clog or the pipes freeze in the cold

[kletusbobby]

At 18 minutes, when you are reading the output, that is a MPT control unit, so if the batteries are charged, then the controller will reduce the power being put into the batteries. To correctly test the system, you need to test it as a stand-alone generator on flat batteries. Or if you can prevent over running and the high voltage that goes with it, try an open circuit test.

[squirrel_is_notamused]

Maybe checking the bearings on the generator would be a good idea. The waterwheel didn't seem like it was spinning freely when you moved it by hand. Also, the water output/exhaust at the end might not be exiting freely causing flow problems in the waterwheel chamber. I remember someone creating a Venturi effect with some simple piping after the generator to increase throughput. Just a thought. Cheers!

[JohnSmith-uzbb]

On both systems you need to build a "pond" at least 3 feet deep....with the excess flow able to pour over the dam wall and flow on downstream.

Use an intake pipe twice the size of your penstock as the receiver of the water in that pond.

The double size pipe (capped on the upstream end) needs to have very many small holes drilled in it...say 1/4 inch holes all over wrap fabric shade cloth or fabric wind break cloth around the pipe as a filter...

Now suspend the drilled wrapped receptor pipe half way between the floor of the pond and the top of the water...the cleanest water zone as the silt drops to the bottom of the pond and the leaves etc. float over the top of the

The small holes do not allow a vortex to occur...the number of small holes allow full flow of "solid" unaerated water to fill the penstock.

Now you have also eliminated those small stones, leaves, sticks.... and the bubbles....


See Marty T channel (he is in New Zealand) for a washing machine motor based turbine putting out 885 watts continuous from a 229ft head 4 inch penstock....going 18 years on the original

[nautibuoys]

The inlet valve coulr be causing cavitation befor the generator if you move the valve back 30 diameters to allow the water to reattach to the pipe you should get better flow over the impellor. Worth a try. Great video best of luck 😊

[daveauman]

I used a Scott/Harris reactive for 3 years before giving up... mostly issues with the 3 phase alternators. I had 3 of them come apart before extending the penstock and going to a Turgo.
If you really want use the Scott, I do have few suggestions...
A tall collection box at the headworks, with a coanda screen works great.
Do what you can to increase the head pressure.
Install a pressure guage in the pipe, just above the lower shutoff valve. It will tell you a lot about your water system and help you diagnose problems.
Don't overgrease the bearings. It can cut your rotor speed in half.
I saw that you had a pretty good suction screen, but remove the valve from your Scott, so that you can see into the narrowing throat, to make sure that there are no sticks or rocks stuck in there.
I have a few other suggestions. Let me know if you want to hear them.

[Brad-vslk]

For every 90 degree bend in the headstock piping you loose approx 15% flow rate. For every 45 degree you loose 8%. The generator has a 90 degree turn built right into it making it inefficient for that volume and flow rate of that creek! Those look like globe valves and they probably reduce flow by 10% each. They should probably be gate valves and I think you could probably eliminate the one near the generator all together! First thing I would do is straighten every pipe I could eliminating all the offset fittings. Then I would build a small dam creating a 5 foot wide head pond with a large inlet funnel down deep so as to eliminate bubbles and screened to eliminate debris. I would add another 5 inch pipe running alongside the existing one with a larger diameter wye pipe with a reducer at the generator. I would try to increase the length of the pipe as much as I could. All that would increase the pressure/flow rate to the generator. That is what you can try using the existing equipment. But the truth be told I would get another generator/turbine. That generator is too small for that volume/ flow rate. Or you could replace the piping with a smaller diameter one, say 2 or 3 inch. That would increase the flow rate greatly if you had a head pond with a larger collector/ funnel. But honestly I think the turbine is too small for that application and that is what I would either replace or modify. Try cutting a larger hole on the turbine for the water to be exhausted with no restrictions/diversions. The turbine is just poorly built. Get rid of any restriction after the water spins the blades. You don’t care if it sprays out in a large fan shape!! I would suck it up and just purchase a larger turbine/gen set! Trouble is it is so expensive to just get rid of. Maybe you can sell it as being barely used!! Someone else with a smaller creek could use that one. Good luck using the existing equipment!!! Being able to adjust the parameters on the controller is perfect. What’s installed in the control room is suitable for almost any application! It’s just the turbine/gen set that sucks!!!!

[oakvillefarmer]

I don’t have a working system but the little that I have messed around I had to start with a larger pipe and step diameter down the further I went. The long run of pipe I believed I had cavitation in the pipe as it accelerated creating an air lock. The old gold miners that washed hills away to retrieve gold used to do this. It helped me.

[tbix]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ideas and videos. Retired power system operator that used to monitor the operations of a few thousand MWs of hydro generation. Love all aspects of hydro power large to micro. Can’t help wondering if your turbine is loosing efficiency with all the air in the wheel from the lack of a draft tube. If you could add one it might improve efficiency. If even a short section gives you any improvement then lengthening it down the stream should add more suction and more power. Wishing you and your family the best. Jealous of your location and the projects it facilitates.
I know that draft tubes aren’t used with Pelton wheels and if you had a Francis wheel they are mandatory. Pondering if the turbine you have is more like a Francis wheel than a Pelton wheel.

[Omnesum]

The "more bubbles" outlet looked like the perfect setup for a trompe. Depending on the changes made it could be a way to harvest more power easily.

[CplSkiUSMC]

I've never been good with electrical, DC is about my limit. All of that was head splitting... I'm glad you understand that stuff Jeff, because I'd fall flat on my face trying to make that setup work.

[SevenOneTv.]

Absolutely love this. Planning something like this too soon.

[jasonlightfoot]

Thank you Gridlessness you make my Sundays a lot better 💫your enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring I love seeing you and your beautiful family work so well together 😊

[tonymaddever]

When I was young, I lived on a farm that my parents owned we had our own power. It was a generator run by a Pelton wheel produced 220, Volts, DC couldn’t turn lights off, but the Pilton wheel we could take the generator off, put a belt onto the saw bench and cut our firewood, the pipe coming into the system was 18 inches by memory, the jet at the end hitting the pedals in the Pilton wheel was about a inch. The drop was about 70 feet. The pipe was 500 m. There was plenty of water in the creek very permanent and being in New Zealand. We didn’t get too much ice in the creek, so went 24 seven at the head of the system was a small dam with permanent gauze and then we put bird netting across the top of that so we could remove to remove leaves which was the biggest problem in keeping it going, especially in the autumn

[jeb]

Your channel is a never-ending source of learning, beauty and fun. Never thought I would be interested in smaller scale hydro-electric generation, but Kris Harbour Natural Building was the first time I saw a utuber exploring the subject. Even more so it is your entire family’s spirit of exploration into self sufficient solutions that I have found so captivating throughout these years. Again, thank you for a fine video and may God bless you and your endeavors!

[nkto]

Love your channel! I am very intrested in helping you and your friends get the most from your radio purchases. If you hold your radio so that all the radios antennas are VERTICAL at ALL times you will get the logest and most clear transmissions the radio is capable of providing. You substantially reduce the radios performance by holding the antenna in any other orientation other than VERTICAL. Could be the difference someday of L&D.

[brockm]

This is what dreams are made of. Always really like the idea of hydro systems. As long as you have a good flow of water endless power.

[jefferyshall]

That water wheel in the big system seemed EXTREMELY hard to spin it and the fin design didn't look like they would take very good advantage of that massive flow rate.
Seems like it would be WAY better to run multiple of the small ones on the big creek unless you can make a big version of the small one with a big pelton wheel or something.