A view occurred to me the other day about all the facts we know about construction your own wind turbine. Why not use the same law used to build a wind turbine, to build a hydro-electric generator. However this is not for everyone. One requirement that you must have is entrance to a flowing water source, rather it would be a steady flowing creek or a creek you could nothing else but divert.
We could use the same motor that is designated for a wind turbine, one that turns at slow speed, and a dc permanent magnet type motor. You would need to construct a water wheel large adequate to turn are motor nothing else but with the water flow. As the water turns the motor we would be charging our battery bank.
Dc To Ac Power Inverter
Here is a basic layout of what you need to create your own electricity.
- First you need your dc permanent magnet motor with a speed no greater than 400 rpm, in either 12 or 24 volt.
- You need a charge controller to regulate the amount of charge going to your batteries. The charge controller will stop charging once the batteries are fully charged your motor will be electrically disconnected from the batteries until they need charged again. A charge controller can be purchased or built from plans found on the Internet.
- You will need your deep cycle batteries designed for your system. The amount of batteries will be considered by the total electrical load you are powering.
- Finally you will need an Ac inverter to change the 12 or 24 volts from your law which will change from Dc volts to usable Ac volts or house current.
Word of caution: If you are unsure of your self working with electrical my all means taste a suited electrician to do all the wiring. Remember that electricity can harm you and even cause death if not properly handled.
Just a few comments about the water flow. Make sure that the water can turn your water wheel freely and that your motor does not come in taste with the water. That is why I advise construction a stand for your motor off the ground in case of a sudden rise in the creek or water way. You want to be smart about your facility and think about all scenarios. This why I like diverting the water with a man made channel which I feel would be easier to control..
Build Your Own Hydro galvanic Generator