Small Scale Dam Electrical Generation: How much?

[Jonathan_Chance]

So say I convinced my small town to go nuts with the hydroelectric and commit to taking us off the grid. We have these rivers near us…and I mean literally on top of us:

1. The Ohio River

2. The Muskingum River

3. Duck Creek

4. Another small stream like Duck Creek but half the size and without a local name.

Figuring that damming the Ohio is impractical due to the large amount of barge traffic what sort of generation could we get out of the smaller places?

[YamatoTwinkie]

From http://www.doradovista.com/DVPower2.html :

Simple Hydro Power Model (Save these formulas for your own Hydroelectric Calculations):

(Head(ft) x Flow in Cubic Feet per Second) / 11.8   = P = KW output.  or
(Head(ft) x Flow in Cubic Feet per Second) / 8.8     = HP output. 

Then take KW output x Hrs producing x Generating Rate ($/KWH) =  $

Keep in mind that the actual power generated here will be reduced by friction, energy transformation loss and electrical generator losses by some 15% or more depending on the mechanical and electrical efficiency of the actual hydropower equipment installation. You must include this efficiency factor in any Hydropower design model for it to give a good economic return on investment or ROI. This is a common place to make a mistake when considering the purchase of Small, Mini or Micro Hydropower equipment.

So you need to figure out how much flow you can divert, and how much height (head) you can dam at your location.

Also see related Wiki article

[Xema]

@Jonathan_Chance

Figuring that damming the Ohio is impractical due to the large amount of barge traffic what sort of generation could we get out of the smaller places?

Duck creek looks pitifully small and not worth the trouble. The Muskingum River might have marginally enough flow, but Google Earth suggests that it meanders through tolerably flat terrain, so you’d have to flood a huge area (which implies a giant, hideously expensive dam and the need to drive out vast numbers of people) to get the kind of head necessary to generate any real power.

There appears to be about a 20-ft drop at the dam in Stockport, but that is rather small beer (in hydroelectric terms).