3 ms·

I’m not sure how cost effective it is. Most people don’t have a stream they can divert to run power. I’m not sure if the legality of stream diversion for pers

I’m not sure how cost effective it is. Most people don’t have a stream they can divert to run power. I’m not sure if the legality of stream diversion for personal use in many jusristrictions, and they seemed to divert a long way.

wongarsu 7y ago
In Europe there are a lot of small streams that used to house mills before electricity made those redundant. Most of the earth work is alread done, you would just have to change it from a stretch of fast-flowing water to power a mill wheel to a small drop to power a turbine, and add the turbine and electronics. In some places there might even be ancient still-valid permits you could aquire if you buy the original mill. I would expect a lot of red tape, but depending on local jurisdiction that might be very doable in Europe if you're willing to buy the right place for it.
- martin_a 7y ago
  As you mentioned, this is possible but often followed by lots of regulatory things. I had a look into it for Germany and the easiest way is to buy an old mill and retrofit new technology for power generation. On the other hand, older mills are often covered by the protection of historical monuments and can therefore not be altered as you like. This should really be looked into before buying anything as it will be an absolute showstopper with no way around it. And if you try to do what the guy here did you'll most likely run into water way authorities with requirements for fish ladders and so on. It's doable but it's not as easy as laying some pipe through your garden.
  - londons_explore 7y ago
    On a stream this size, even if it is technically illegal, there is no way the government is going to find out about it
    - zaarn 7y ago
      You'd be surprised how much work goes to protecting the environment in germany. Or protecting environment regulations. And the communes take the state of their waters very seriously as well. You'd likely also upset various environmental groups due to a lot of protected species living around.
- jacquesm 7y ago
  Your typical height difference in those locations are better suited to applications that use torque rather than pressure. And that's how they were used in the past, to directly turn paddle wheels or bucket wheels to power mechanical activity, not to run generators for electrical power. You might be able to create a neat conversion though, make an old style wheel and then gear up inside the building. But cost wise that would most likely be a complete loss compared to the electricity it would produce, and those wheels are high maintenance.

wongarsu 7y ago

In Europe there are a lot of small streams that used to house mills before electricity made those redundant. Most of the earth work is alread done, you would just have to change it from a stretch of fast-flowing water to power a mill wheel to a small drop to power a turbine, and add the turbine and electronics. In some places there might even be ancient still-valid permits you could aquire if you buy the original mill. I would expect a lot of red tape, but depending on local jurisdiction that might be very doable in Europe if you're willing to buy the right place for it.

martin_a 7y ago
As you mentioned, this is possible but often followed by lots of regulatory things. I had a look into it for Germany and the easiest way is to buy an old mill and retrofit new technology for power generation. On the other hand, older mills are often covered by the protection of historical monuments and can therefore not be altered as you like. This should really be looked into before buying anything as it will be an absolute showstopper with no way around it. And if you try to do what the guy here did you'll most likely run into water way authorities with requirements for fish ladders and so on. It's doable but it's not as easy as laying some pipe through your garden.
- londons_explore 7y ago
  On a stream this size, even if it is technically illegal, there is no way the government is going to find out about it
  - zaarn 7y ago
    You'd be surprised how much work goes to protecting the environment in germany. Or protecting environment regulations. And the communes take the state of their waters very seriously as well. You'd likely also upset various environmental groups due to a lot of protected species living around.
jacquesm 7y ago
Your typical height difference in those locations are better suited to applications that use torque rather than pressure. And that's how they were used in the past, to directly turn paddle wheels or bucket wheels to power mechanical activity, not to run generators for electrical power. You might be able to create a neat conversion though, make an old style wheel and then gear up inside the building. But cost wise that would most likely be a complete loss compared to the electricity it would produce, and those wheels are high maintenance.