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Micro Hydro Turbines and Systems – Rediscovering Water and Hydro Power
From the front, the old brick mill in Middlebury, Vt., looks like any of the other quaint buildings lining the town’s main street. But inside, through yawning gaps in a patchwork floor of long, narrow planks, the gray-green waters of Otter Creek can be seen churning toward a 23-ft. waterfall. Anchored to a stone bridge above the river, the building once had a mill wheel that drove wool-processing equipment; later, a penstock carried water to a turbine, generating electricity for the town’s streetlights.
For the past 42 years, the power of the river has gone untapped—the turbine is long since dismantled—and Middlebury’s electricity now comes from the grid. The only sign of the penstock, the pipe that funneled water to the powerhouse, is a crumbling concrete frame, and the sluice gate that controlled the river diversion is missing its metal plate. Local resident Anders Holm plans to change that.
An ear, nose and throat specialist who grew up in town, Holm was born a few years after the hydropower system was retired. His father purchased the mill in the 1980s and rented it out as commercial space. But changing times—particularly the events of Sept. 11, 2001—convinced Holm to reduce his dependence on foreign oil. He covered his home with solar panels. Then he and his brother, Erik, decided to restore both the mill and the hydropower.
“Our original plan was to make power for our own property,” Holm says. “We didn’t intend to sell it. But then we realized the enormous power potential and knew we had to do more.” Unlike the old system, the new one will take advantage of every inch of head—the water pressure exerted by gravity—and will use a modern 1-megawatt turbine. Under ideal conditions, it will generate enough electricity for about 1000 homes, or most of downtown Middlebury.
Of course, reviving aging infrastructure is no small task. Holm, who recently built a mahogany deck at his home using only hand tools, didn’t shy away from the challenge. Instead he took two months off from his surgical practice to work on the project full-time. His first task: Reduce the flow of the river under the building’s northwest corner to a mere gurgle so that the foundation could be repaired. From the front, the old brick mill in Middlebury, Vt., looks like any of the other quaint buildings lining the town’s main street. But... more -
Energy's Water Demands Worrisome
Add another requirement to the clean-energy checklist: low water usage. Two Virginia Tech researchers released a study this week examining the water-use requirements for 11 different energy sources, ranking them in terms of efficiency.
One of the most important aspects of the study was to raise awareness of the role water plays in energy production, said Rachelle Hill, a recent Virginia Tech graduate who co-authored the study.
"We need to do more research and really study what goes into energy production, not just what comes out," Hill told United Press International.
And a lot of water goes in. According to the study, U.S. thermoelectric power plants consume 136 billion gallons of water per day, averaging out to 25 gallons for every kilowatt-hour produced. Water is used in almost every aspect of energy, from the cooling and cleaning of machinery to the production of steam to turn turbines. And as energy demand rises in coming decades, so will the amount of water required to produce it.
Water usage has become a major concern in recent years because supply has dwindled, said Eric Evenson of the U.S. Geological Survey, a federal science agency.
An ever-growing population has increased water usage in a number of sectors, leading to shortages in some areas, Evenson said, and policymakers should examine any strain on supply.
"Any one factor, like water needs for energy, or for public supply, or for agriculture ¿¿ bears on the quantity of overall water availability," he said.
And energy has a big impact, said Mike Hightower, a member of the Energy-Water Nexus National Lab Team, a group of scientists from a number of national laboratories researching the issue.
"In the United States on a daily basis, about 40 percent of our fresh water withdrawals are for energy production," said Hightower, a technical staff member at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.
While much of the water used in energy production is not consumed but returned to its source and later reused, the energy sector's reliance on water's availability could cause problems down the road, Hightower told UPI.
"Even if you don't consume a lot of water, if you use it, you need it day in and day out to operate," he said. If a drought occurs, "then water levels lower, you can't withdraw any more and that's going to impact your energy supply." Add another requirement to the clean-energy checklist: low water usage. Two Virginia Tech researchers released a study this week exami... more -
Leviathan powers your home with every flush
Hydroelectric power is generated when moving water passes through turbines. Why stick to water in rivers says Leviathan Energy, a Delaware-incorporated company with R&D in Israel. Water moving through the sewer system could work too! Some extreme TreeHuggers let yellow water mellow, but with Leviathan’s Benkatine Turbine you can feel less guilty –– by generating power with every flush of the toilet. Hydroelectric power is generated when moving water passes through turbines. Why stick to water in rivers says Leviathan Energy, a Dela... more
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