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Where a suitable flow of water is available, hydro-electric generation will usually be the most economical means of producing renewable energy.  Often, installations use a high head of water piped to produce a powerful jet, for example to drive a pelton wheel.  Such sites, though, are less common than that of a burn with a modest flow and fall, which can make use of a “low-head” turbine…

hydrodwg1


powerpal

…the PowerPal micro-hydro turbine uses an axial-flow impeller and requires a head of only 1.5m.  This can often be obtained with a simple dam or side channel, much in the same way as for a traditional water wheel.

PowerPal is installed vertically, at the eye of a spiral shaped inlet duct.  Water flows from the duct, driving the impeller and exiting through a vertical, conical pipe to the lower water level.

The machine comes in three sizes, all designed to produce 220VAC at 50-60Hz from a permanent magnet alternator mounted in the top of the unit
Output (W)
min. flow (l/sec) diameter of impeller housing overall height weight (kg)
200 35 200                    680              16
500 70                    300                    780              32
1000 130                    425                    920              75



Further reading: A PowerPal 200 demonstration [Acrobat PDF file, 88k]