This is my first post here, I'm a newbie to renewable energy. I'm on one of the best chicken forums in the world...I say world because we have members everywhere. We can ask a question and members and experts in different fields of poultry answer and help solve our problems or others who have had the same difficulties can share how they overcame the obstacles. I'm no expert at anything. But I love my chickens, guineas and peacocks and I truly appreciate the support and friendships we have developed on our chicken forum. I can't wait to connect everyday.
I have hope that this is another positive problem solving forum that will encourage newbie's in the exploration and development of micro hydro systems. I try to check for answers and mail twice a day or at least before calling it a night. With grand kids and animals it can get hectic around the farm at times.
I am truly interested and excited about the possibility of developing a grid tied battery based micro-hydro electrical system. I am trying to learn as much as fast as I can. The information on the systems that I'm looking at don't seem to be readily available. I guess it's just new or as yet unavailable. Nowhere have I seen information on pump based systems. These pumps would make the systems available to a vast number of farms that already have ponds and large pumps available. Our pumps are very small compared to the giant irrigation pumps on a lot of the farms around here. I say that with the sure knowledge a chicken friend of ours is now paying out around $5000 a month for her electricity from a REA. These ponds would provide an endless base of water to recirculate and these systems would pay for themselves in a reasonable amount of time if do-able. The water would be recycled right back into the ponds.
I know very little about electricity other than it can knock the fire out of you. We have a 300 amp box and other needs not on this box. I had read that the Harris hydro turbine has up to 40% more output also that there is a "machine" instead of the turbine that others are using. Do you know of this? Or is it just advertizing?
The idea that there is friction loss and loss of energy if we use a pump is a given. In my way of thinking if you know that there will be a loss it would become part of the equation in developing the system...ie; if there will be a 40% loss, then there is a 60% gain. So if you need A amount of electricity to operate and the loss is B then you are looking at A+B=C , C being the amount of electricity we would want to generate from our system to support our needs and lifestyle. I realize that we may need more than one pump/system to generate the amount needed and thankfully, ours is no where as great as the above friends.
Right now we have a 5 hp, 3 phase pump with an output of 120 gpm water flow. It is my understanding from what I've read that the turbine/generators output before it goes to the converter is 3 phase. We have two other pumps, one being a 7 hp however, I don't know it's gpm tonight. How much power could these pumps generate?
I would think a reaction turbine would be what we need as they require the water to be piped to the turbine and are both closed diversion systems. I also wonder if the tailrace or discharge pipe might be utilized in another turbine to generate the power for the first pump or would the gpm be so reduced as to be non-useable. Maybe use a smaller impulse instead of the reaction turbine? Would the jets increase the power?
The idea of solar power is great, however, with the cost of solar and considering our natural bad weather it would call for a back up wind system and the cost combined to account for bad weather would be out of our ballpark.
If you have information about a supplier of turbines and information that would be helpful we would sincerely appreciate your willingness to share this with us and any constructive assistance. Also if you know of anyone else using pumps for the water in these systems we would like to hear of them. Thank you for your patience.
Grace and Blessings,
Mary