Hello everybody, my name is Rodolfo I write from Italy
This is my first message.
Until I'm waiting for my data logger to collect wind-data for a year, i want to dedicate my time to a small hidro project for a site i have near my house.
The amount of water is very low, i suppose about 5-6 litres per second. The head is about ten meters.
So i should have a gross power of about 600 watt. In a year of almost constant use these are 5.100 KWh, that is more than a medium house consuming (3500-4000).
At the highest price in europe for electricity, about 12,54 Eurocent/KWh ($ 0,161), i will save about 500 ( $645 ).
Not enough for a trip to the haway islands, but enough to try.
The most important thing is that for saving money i have to connect to the main grid and use a "net-metering" option, making my electricity rotating in reverse way. It's an option provided by law only for renewable energy.
I wanted to use a small pump reversed as a turbine
Do somebody know how efficient are they?
As alternator i can use a small car alternator, eventually with a pulley to moltiplicate speed until it reach the 2.000 rpm needed, then transform the AC to 120-150 volts, then rectify it and give it to the main inverter.
I can't manage to find a suitable alternator or brushless generatore that is capable to produce even a very small amount of amperes but at high voltage and at low rpm, to do direct connection
So much work because for connnecting to the grid i have to use a validated (by utility company) inverter, actually the most economic one is the SMA windyboy or sunnyboy. It will be the only component i want to buy, and it costs over 1000, i can obtain the other pieces including pipes for no money. The low voltage versions have not been certified
Any idea for improving my project will be very appreciated.
Thank you in advance and sorry for my bad english.