Small Scale Hydro Renewable Energy Creation

Overview

When you hold a ball in your hand at shoulder height, the ball does not fall down if you hold it steady. However, you know that the moment you let go of the ball it is going to fall down until it hits the ground. The ball does not possess any movement energy (also known as kinetic energy), but it does possess a lot of potential energy. Without your hand to stop it, the ball's position would not be stable. This is the same principle that applies to electricity generation through hydroelectric power.

When you have a flowing stream or river, provided that the flow of water is great enough and the elevation difference between the start and end of the flow is large enough, that motion can be used to create energy. All you have to do is place a generator in the path of the water, waiting for the motion of the water to turn the generator and allow it to build up an amount of stored energy. Small scale hydroelectric power functions in the same way, except instead of using gigantic dams it uses small generators for individual homes, blocks of homes or communities that are located near suitable water sources. For this reason, it is one of the best choices for renewable energy provided that you live in an area with a good candidate for a body of water.

Suggested Products

In terms of products that are available in the United Kingdom, hydroelectric power has already been well developed. A significant portion of the UK's total energy output already comes from it, which means that installing a hydroelectric generator to generate small scale energy amounts for your house is a procedure that most energy companies likely already have experience in. For that reason, all you need to do is open the phone book, search for energy companies and start talking to them about the potential of using small scale hydro renewable energy in order to power your home in part or in full.

For Further Reading

Practical Action's position on small-scale hydropower: While this particular website really has more to do with using hydroelectric power to help out in areas of the world where poverty is rampant, at the same time it is also a very good article at showing you just why hydroelectric power is as good as it happens to be. Small scale hydro power in particular is treated very well in this article, allowing you to arm yourself with information before making an ultimate decision.

General Discussion on Wave and Tidal Power: The Renewable Energy Centre always has good information, and their page on hydro power is no different.