Legalities & Fees

In the UK "There should not be an ongoing cost, but there is an upfront cost for an abstraction licence. This will not guarantee that you can divert water, because the final permission will depend on surveys of the ecological impact of a scheme.

Unfortunately, abstraction licence charges increased greatly in 2022 – one can now cost thousands of pounds. Therefore it’s worth checking the likely costs of this early on. You’d need to compare the cost of the licence to the expected benefits you will get from generating electricity from a micro hydro turbine." - https://cat.org.uk/info-resources/free-information-service/energy/micro-hydro/ 

Check first to learn about local laws, licenses, or fees before planning a project.

Types of Micro Hydro Power Generation

Impulse Turbines

"Impulse turbines, which have the least complex design, are most commonly used for high-head microhydro systems. They rely on the velocity of water to move the turbine wheel, which is called the runner. The most common types of impulse turbines include the Pelton wheel and the Turgo wheel.

• Pelton wheel -- uses the concept of jet force to create energy. Water is funneled into a pressurized pipeline with a narrow nozzle at one end. The water sprays out of the nozzle in a jet, striking the double-cupped buckets attached to the wheel. The impact of the jet spray on the curved buckets creates a force that rotates the wheel at high efficiency rates of 70–90%. Pelton wheel turbines are available in various sizes and operate best under low-flow and high-head conditions.

• Turgo impulse wheel -- an upgraded version of the Pelton. It uses the same jet spray concept, but the Turgo jet, which is half the size of the Pelton, is angled so that the spray hits three buckets at once. As a result, the Turgo wheel moves twice as fast. It's also less bulky, needs few or no gears, and has a good reputation for trouble-free operations. The Turgo can operate under low-flow conditions but requires a medium or high head.

• Jack Rabbit turbine -- a drop-in-the-creek turbine that can generate power from a stream with as little as 13 inches of water and no head. Output from the Jack Rabbit is a maximum of 100 Watts, so daily output averages 1.5–2.4 kilowatt-hours, depending on your site. Sometimes referred to as the Aquair UW Submersible Hydro Generator."

- https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/microhydropower-systems

Reaction Turbines

"Reaction turbines, which are highly efficient, depend on pressure rather than velocity to produce energy. All blades of the reaction turbine maintain constant contact with the water. These turbines are often used in large-scale hydropower sites.

Because of their complexity and high cost, reaction turbines aren't usually used for microhydropower projects. An exception is the propeller turbine, which comes in many different designs and works much like a boat's propeller.

Propeller turbines have three to six usually fixed blades set at different angles aligned on the runner. The bulb, tubular, and Kaplan tubular are variations of the propeller turbine. The Kaplan turbine, which is a highly adaptable propeller system, can be used for microhydro sites." - https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/microhydropower-systems

Conventional Pumps 

"Conventional pumps can be used as substitutes for hydraulic turbines. When the action of a pump is reversed, it operates like a turbine. Since pumps are mass produced, you'll find them more readily than turbines. Pumps are also less expensive. For adequate pump performance, however, your microhydropower site must have fairly constant head and flow. Pumps are also less efficient and more prone to damage." - https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/microhydropower-systems

Water Wheels

"The waterwheel is the oldest hydropower system component. Waterwheels are still available, but they aren't very practical for generating electricity because of their slow speed and bulky structure."  - https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/microhydropower-systems

Maps

International

• The Global Hydropower Tracker (Interactive) "is a worldwide dataset of hydropower facilities.
  
  The tracker catalogs hydroelectric power plants with capacities of 75 megawatts (MW) or more. It includes all facilities at this capacity threshold for operating, announced, pre-construction, under construction, and shelved units. Some data are also included for plants that are either mothballed, retired, or canceled.
  
  Projects are the fundamental level of organization for the Global Hydropower Tracker. A given project may consist of a single turbine-generator set, or multiple turbine-generator sets. When available, information about the capacity and number of turbine(s) is included. Multiple projects that are part of a collection of related power-generating infrastructure but which should be considered different plants due to distinct physical infrastructure, geographic separation, and/or other factors such as ownership or operation are linked together as a complex."

Companies

International

• GE: Micro Hydropower Kinetics Solutions "GE Renewable Energy and Emrgy combine their strengths around this high-performing micro hydro technology."

• Suneco Hydro Turbines this licensed manufacturer of turbines has offices around the world.

North America

Canada

New Brunswick

• Energy Systems & Design "is the top international manufacturer of Micro Hydro Electric machines and components since 1980."

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