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Ch1 - Welcome to Microhydro
1.1 Microhydro good news, bad news
1.2 Off-grid sites are a great opportunity
1.3 Components of a microhydro system
1.4 How much will it cost?
1.5 Explain electricity more
 Ch2 - Getting the service you want
2.1 Sizing your system requirements: self-rating systems
2.2 Choosing a system that meets your requirements
 Ch3 - Determining your power potential
3.1 How much water is available?
3.2 Basic hydraulics: Calculating water flow and pressure in pipes
3.3 Using the Microhydro Power Calculator to assess the power potential of existing pipelines
3.4 Assessing a site without a pipe
3.5 Opportunities and obstacles
3.6 Go figure!
 Ch4 - About battery-charging systems
4.1 What kind of service can you expect from a battery charging system?
4.2 Tell me about batteries in microhydro
4.3 Turbines: high head, low head
4.4 Charging batteries with alternators
4.5 Getting AC from batteries with an inverter
4.6 Battery charge controlling by diversion controlling
4.7 Transmitting power up to a mile to charge batteries
 Ch5 - About AC systems
5.1 What kind of service can I expect from an AC system?
5.2 Turbines and alternators for AC systems
5.3 Governing AC systems
5.4 Primitive governing
5.5 Transmitting AC power
5.6 Conservation is still the most powerful technology
 Ch6 - Plumbing
6.1 Intakes
6.2 Screening the intake
6.3 About pipe
6.4 About fittings
6.5 Burying penstocks for frost protection
6.6 …Or not burying your penstock
 Ch7 - Case studies
7.1 Battery charging systems
7.2 Small to large AC systems – the Buck Creek Ranch
7.3 A High Output System: Peters’ Hydroelectric System
 Ch8 - Regulations and incentives
8.1 The carrot: Government incentives for microhydro
8.2 The stick: Regulations


New Users: The page you are viewing explains how the course works, shows you the full table of contents, and shows you some sample pages. Learn more about the course and how to Register

Purchase: microhydro course (new, lower price $49.95)

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Energy Alternatives' Online Microhydro course is based on the hands-on experience of Energy Alternatives, who has installed and used microhydro systems for decades.

This is a self-paced course that is conducted online from the comfort of your home, ofice or internet cafe. You are able to choose which topics are of most interest to you, and skip those that do not apply to your application.

Everything you need to know to design and install your own microhydro system is included, with tips on what to do and what not to do - because it has been tried before.

After Chapter 1 and 2, you should know the basic components of a microhydro system and be able to figure out the size of system required for your lifestyle.

Chapter 3 will help you determine how much potential energy is in your creek. This chapter goes far beyond the typical information given from turbine manufacturers and government agencies, which often ignore the properties and size of the pipeline, which radically changes the power you can produce.

This chapter will help you choose the best location and pipe size to get the most power from your creek at the most practical price, with the help of the Microhydro Power Calculator.

Simply follow the course instructions to enter the values in the boxes, and the power output of your system will be automatically generated. This calculator, available free, is a valuable tool to design microhydro systems.

Chapter 4 will teach in detail the components - turbines, batteries, alternators, inverters - for a small system that charges batteries. -sample page-

Larger systems, which power appliances directly without a battery are covered in Chapter 5.

Chapter 6 takes you through the practical tips of building a pipeline.

Knowledge from the whole course comes together in Chapter 7 to describe how different people solved dilemmas in their working microhydro systems. These examples show how much fun as well as practical microhydro systems can be. Several case studies demonstrate that the rules for building a microhydro system are flexible - simple solutions often work. -sample page-

The course wraps up with a guide to common incentives and regulations around water rights, grid intertie and building codes across North America.

If you are considering building a microhydro system, or are interested in modern applications of this most ancient renewable resource, this course is the most complete and easy source of information available. Sign up today.

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