2009-2010
5.9 Kilowatt Micro Hydroelectric Turbine Installation
"Saving Money and Fossil Fuels Using Clean Rain, Melting Snow, and Gravity" in The Shawangunk Mountains
Installation of the hydroelectric system (called Millbrook Mountain Hydro) was completed by Barry Lebost in May of 2009 and is presently providing energy from gravity to run the electric, domestic hot water and heating in the Millbrook Mountain home.
Water gravitates down Millbrook Mountain from Lake Minnewaska together with natural underground springs and is stored in a 200,000 gallon dammed pond. The dam feeds an 8" HDPE penstock (ISCO) pipe beginning inside a debris filtering concrete forebay while the turbine/generator sits in a 5ft x 6ft garden shed in a gully 72.4 ft. below the dam. Water pressure at the base of the penstock is 31.5 PSI and a Gates carbon timing belt increases the speed of the 1500 RPM PowerPal T8 turgo Vietnamese turbine to the generator's required 1800 RPM for 60 cycle 240V/120V electric power.The 6Kw Marathon Electric generator with voltage regulator was design wired for hydro electric power use. Besides electrically powering the house, two 80 gallon tanks are employed to heat, store water, and circulate water through the baseboard heating loop when needed as well as through a domestic hot water heat exchanger.
The turbine is now producing a clean usable 4.2 Kw delivered to the house when set at full throttle.
An actuator system allows the turbine needle valve throttle to be opened and closed remotely from the house.
Microhydro can produce clean renewable
energy utilizing pure clean water that is an abundant resource of New York State
and this energy is consumed within the state as well- with virtually no
environmental clean up costs.
Most of the installation can be built underground to make it environmentally invisible.
The estimated yearly power production of this installation is 22,000 to 25,000 kwh.
The jobs that can be created by the expansion of this field include HDPE pipe manufacture, fusion splicing equipment, fusion splice operators, couplings, steel fabrication, excavation, hydrologists survey,turbine manufacture,generator manufacture, electricians, power transmissions, wire and cable,excavation equipment and operators,prefabricated cement catch basins, transfer switches, water heaters,pressure gauges, trucking, steel fabrication, etc.
The list goes on and on.
If you live in the Hudson valley area and you think you have a water power source that can power your home or business you can email at blebost@gmail.com for free site evaluation.
