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Yeah, pumped hydro is one of those power sources that doesn't scale down at all. However, home scale conventional hydro is a thing. If you live on a hill with

Yeah, pumped hydro is one of those power sources that doesn't scale down at all. However, home scale conventional hydro is a thing. If you live on a hill with a creek that runs down it you can install a generator that produces a usable amount of consistent power for the cost of a few hundred meters of PVC pipe, a barrel, some connectors, and a small electric turbine. Search for micro-hydro if you want to know more. Like all hydro solutions it's heavily dependent on the geography and only suitable for well under .1% of the population, but where it is feasible it can be a huge step towards off-grid living. Add in some batteries, maybe supplement with some solar panels, and you've got all of the electricity you need year round at a somewhat affordable price.

martin_a 4y ago
> Search for micro-hydro if you want to know more. I've probably seen everything YT has to offer on that. :-D While I really enjoy those videos and the "let's just do it" vibe with old washing machines as generators, I'm also somewhat happy that Germany has rather strict regulations on how to use water from streams and rivers. Some installations are quite disturbing for local ecosystems. But being off-grid in remote areas these solutions seem like a probable compromise.
- jandrese 4y ago
  Most micro-hydro setups seem to divert only part of the stream and only do it for a few hundred meters or so. These streams are typically much too small to be salmon spawning grounds or the like so the ecological impact seems pretty minimal. It's not like they're drinking all of the water, it gets returned to the stream right below the turbine.