Ask the Renewable Energy Guru

Disruptive technology about to explode on energy scene.

2012-01-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

LENR is real, cold fusion is neither. See last post re: Low Energy Nuclear Reaction. The real excitement for me is that any competent plumber or metal worker can build a unit, no exotic materials needed. This also makes control of the technology difficult if not impossible unless we allow legislation pushed by the big energy companies. - Rob Is it possible that Obama is keeping a lid on

Disruptive technology about to explode on energy scene

2012-01-05T23:59:00.000-05:00

Why I believe Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) are real and about to change the game. http://technologygateway.nasa.gov/media/CC/lenr/lenr.html http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/BarnhartBtechnology.pdf http://www.i-sis.org.uk/alchemistsDream.php http://www.i-sis.org.uk/coldFusionCondensedMatter.php http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8eIhth8Iw8 http://ecatinfo.com/e-cat/

How to keep water pipes from freezing

2012-01-04T20:54:00.002-05:00

I was wondering if you might have a suggestion on how to get an above ground water line from an Artisian well to NOT FREEZE. This is the water source for the ducks and chickens, and am looking for a way to keep it from freezing over. First, a couple of assumptions. I assume that the water pipe is made of black plastic, and is gravity fed from the artesian well that you mention.

BOOST RENEWABLES - give us feed-in tariffs

2011-12-08T15:34:00.001-05:00

There are a lot of interesting laws being considered to boost investment and viability of renewable energy sources. Net metering is just one, then there are feed-in tariffs and virtual net metering also called remote net metering or aggregate net metering. In situations where multiple investors ( a group of neighbors ?) want to share the output of a renewable energy source, and perhaps these

Survived Irene - barely

2011-09-07T14:11:00.000-04:00

This video was taken after the water crested and pretty much covered the flume, causing it to rise up and down on the flood waters. Managed to save it by clearing debris from the inlet to flood it and weigh it down. It would have been destroyed if I had not been here. The upside to all this wet ... been running all year and they just passed net metering for under 25KW hydro in NY!

Three Phase to Single using a 3Ø induction motor as generator

2011-07-03T20:07:00.001-04:00

Common Micro Hydro Misconceptions

2011-07-03T14:44:00.001-04:00

Hydro power - common misconceptions. 1. If there is a waterfall just let the falling water hit some paddles to which the generator is coupled and you are in business.2. Rainwater running from the roof could be used to make electricity.3. Hookup a turbine or Pelton wheel to your faucet, incoming waterline, or garden hose and you can keep the lights on for free. 4. How about if I have a 2400

Connecting to the Utility Grid

2011-06-02T08:16:00.000-04:00

Net Meter Micro Hydro – The Road to Energy IndependenceBy Robert Honders, Honderosa Valley Consulting Net metering is the single most effective policy government can implement to promote renewable energy derived from all sources. Why exclude waterpower? If net metering were extended to all small scale (under 25KW) hydro sites, we would see renewed interest in the

Pumps as Turbines have many advantages.

2011-03-25T01:54:00.000-04:00

Alternative Power Lecture series at SUNY Orange

2011-02-15T21:53:00.000-05:00

Alternative PwrFlyer

Hydro Power at work & play ...

2011-02-03T20:36:00.000-05:00

The Engineering Mind ...

2011-02-03T20:33:00.000-05:00

Choosing penstock pipe

2010-12-21T01:14:00.000-05:00

In choosing pipe consider these: 1. In larger sizes ( > 6" ) steel / iron pipe is cheaper for the same pressure rating. And used ( gas line) steel pipe is even more cost effective.2. I'm a pretty good welder, but even hiring a welder to do the job costs as much as hiring an HDPE fusing machine and operator.3. HDPE needs more supports to keep the pipe from sagging under the weight of the water

Dealing with sand, gravel, ice, leaves just to mention a few things in the water.

2010-07-23T20:54:00.011-04:00

PVC moving belt trash rack Frazil ice, leaves and gravel have been my biggest maintenance headaches. But I'm hoping those headaches are behind me now that I've designed and built a PVC moving belt trash rack. Freezing up of the intake screen after 3 to 4 nights of subzero temperatures is a common problem in cold climates. As the water splashes down over rocks it ends up supercooled (30°F) and

Building a Micro Hydro - Overview

2010-07-19T08:27:00.005-04:00

Pumps as Turbines (PaT) Motors as Generators

2010-02-15T14:51:00.007-05:00

I have been using Pumps as Turbines and motors as generators very successfully for almost four years now. The optimum (maximum power) speed of a PaT is around 1/2 of its no load speed. So to test,run your PaT and generator with the available head but no electrical load or excitation. Then, for maximum power, you should load the system so it runs at 1/2 this No Load speed. So let's assume you have

Rolling logs uphill unloading from a trailer.

2010-02-11T21:51:00.005-05:00

In the early 90's I built a circular saw mill on the back 40. I pick up logs in the local area, often felled by homeowners, and I often end up with a trailer load of big heavy logs to unload at the mill. I put a winch in the back of my old F250 and here is how I load and unload my trailer by just pushing a button.

Best little Hydro House in NY, 20 KW of renewable energy.

2010-02-11T18:52:00.004-05:00

A quick overview of the building process. Picked up some inspiration in Costa Rica where pelton wheels could be seen laying around in yards, as ornaments, like wagon wheels here in the US. This is my first attempt at creating a video with music composition. So keep in mind, I'm an engineer not a liberal artist.

Single Phase from a 3 Phase induction motor/generator

2009-08-26T22:48:00.003-04:00

Are pumps and electric motors usable as turbine/generators?

2009-08-25T23:02:00.007-04:00

Hi Robert,Thank you so much for your generous answer. As I am not electrical, and so I am really not able to understand those diagrams and some terms, before I contact a technician here to helping me with the job, let me ask you some, in my words, willing to get your answer in the most possible simple words (as if it were for kids!): Thanks in anvance for your teachings!.Cheers,Felipe 1- Are

Net Metering, Why not Hydro?

2009-04-15T15:37:00.011-04:00

I want to clarify the 'net metering' issue a little. I think that net metering is the most effective policy the government can implement to promote renewable energy derived from other sources besides solar & wind. If net metering were extended to all small scale (under 25KW) hydro sites, we would see a resurgence and interest in restoring thousands of small hydro sites that have been

Micro Hydro Engineering and Development Fee Schedule

2009-04-02T00:38:00.007-04:00

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST AND WHEN WILL IT PAY BACK MY INVESTMENT? Well I have to do this even though I love to show others the nuts and volts of how to DIY. I taught electronics at SUNY Orange for many years back in the '70s and still like to teach. As much as I'd like to share with everyone what I learned from building some very successful projects, I have to now charge a nominal fee to keep from

Estimating your site Hydro Power

2009-02-03T20:04:00.006-05:00

HVC.RR Honderosa Valley Consulting and Renewables Research One has to remember that actual work done is force delivered times the distance that the force moved (the object) (per unit of time). So if you break a sweat pressing on an immovable wall with 100 lb pressure for several hours, you have done zero work! Because Work=Force X Distance, so 100Lb X zero distance= zero work no matter how

SIZING UP YOUR STREAM FOR HYDRO POWER

2008-11-28T12:17:00.008-05:00

The huge variation in stream flows during a season make exact measurements difficult and un-necessary. We experience 500 to 1 in a typical season, and I have seen 5000 X more water than typical low flows. An existing dam, batter board wier or even a place in the stream where all the water is flowing through a fairly constant depth channel or puddle will do to make observations and measurements

Make webcams work over long distance ethernet.

2008-11-28T00:54:00.017-05:00

Find the WEB CAM in the picture ... Here I used the 6X6 plastic box on its back. The camera and the clear cylindrical food storage container is mounted on the box cover, and the Home Plug Ethernet Switch and camera power supply are all in the box. Just a pair of #18 wires powers the whole thing and carries the ethernet video signal back to the house and the internet. The camera works even on

Dealing With High Water, Leaves, Sand, Gravel, Rocks & Ice

2008-11-25T21:13:00.009-05:00

The most difficult part of a hydro project is building it to deal effectively with the extremes of nature. Of the various challenges nature provides the most difficult (in our situation and location) is extreme cold. When the temperature drops towards zero degrees F the water running over the rocks becomes super cooled ( below 32°F). It turns to slush and plugs up any trash rack in the way.

Pump as Turbine (PAT)

2008-09-20T21:12:00.005-04:00

This is the latest addition to the powerhouse. This split case PAT, 5X6X9 driving a 30HP 3 phase motor as generator will be able to take advantage of the much higher winter flows of the stream. The pump/turbine has been mounted at a 45° angle to eliminate 2 right angle bends in the powerhouse plumbing and there is enough room to accommodate a large flywheel on the generator shaft to enhance

Smart Grid of the Future

2008-08-23T21:35:00.003-04:00

• Eventually, the smart grid will let rates fluctuate even more dynamically, depending on conditions. This already happens in wholesale electricity markets, in which power suppliers buy energy from power producers. Now that would extend to the retail level - our homes. The price of electricity would dip when demand is softest, typically at night or on mild days, and rise in periods of strain.

Grid Connected Or Autonomous?

2008-06-25T09:21:00.006-04:00

We have been up and running autonomously (off the grid) with 12KW capability. On average our little mini grid only draws 2 to 3KW so all the rest gets wasted in dump loads or as water over the dam. (It does make a pretty waterfall!) If we generated this electricity with solar panels or wind we would qualify for 'net metering' which requires very little in the way of special switching and

Butterfly valve voltage controller

2008-06-01T23:10:00.000-04:00

Here are two views of the 4 inch butterfly valve and modified (a little) car window operator that modulates the valve to keep the voltage steady as power demand varies.Frustration overcame when I tried to upload PDF files to my blog, so here is a link to the PDF diagram for the valve controller. The butterfly valve is driven by a car electric window operator because of its high torque and harsh

How I got started, overview.

2008-05-31T23:47:00.000-04:00

This is the view down the discharge pit in the middle of the powerhouse floor, 12 feet of suction head. The two pipes coming in on the sides are footing drains.Three years ago I started designing this system on the waterfall by our house that I had been eying for energy for 35 years. I partnered with the owner of the waterfall which is just off the edge of our land. We shared expenses, I did all

Energy efficient dome home I built in early 1970's

2008-03-04T22:22:00.000-05:00

Thoughts about penstock sizing and PVC.

2008-02-05T16:23:00.000-05:00

Sizing penstock pipe is not a very exacting science. The low to high flow can vary by a factor of thousands. In an average season we get 1000 to 1 winter to summer. So picking the 'design' flow I figured out how much water we can draw during the 10 wettest months and still have a reasonable waterfall too. I figured that a couple of months in the summer we would have to reduce water use or shut

To solve the worlds problems start at home.

2008-02-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

Operator Manual Excerpt: Fine Tuning Micro Hydro

2008-01-18T13:43:00.000-05:00

Plant Operator Manual Buttermilk Micro HydroProfessor Robert J. Honders BSEE Department of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringDeveloping TechnologiesRenewable Energy DivisionSummaryA micro hydro turbine driving an induction generator is like a finely tuned instrument. It runs most efficiently when water flow and head resonate mechanically with the turbine geometry and the rotational speed. The

Using pumps as turbines, motors as generators

2008-01-15T23:25:00.001-05:00

Typical Pump/Motor for high head turbine. ...... A capacitor bank. Using a Pump/Motor as a Turbine/Generator is straight forward. There is nothing that you have to change on the pump or the motor driving it. You do have to get the right size pump for your particular head and flow. Pumps are primarily specified by their outlet, inlet, and impeller diameter. I use a 3X4X10 inch

Our drainage area from Google Earth, 1.6 sq mi

2008-01-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

Convert your oil heat to electric.

2007-11-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

But why you ask. Well, some very few of us have extra electricity to burn. This can happen if you are lucky enough to be able to harness a waterfall. I had to install a replacement oil burner several years before finishing a power plant at the nearby waterfall. So as long as I had this used furnace apart to refurbish it I decided to install electric heating elements in anticipation of all the

Run it in reverse. Pump/motor as turbine/generator

2007-07-17T00:25:00.001-04:00

Download PDF : http://www.scribd.com/doc/3198677/3-phase-motor-as-1-phase-generator-diagram

Protect hydraulic hoses

2007-07-16T21:59:00.001-04:00

Twist the block around the plastic hose to make wiring harness or hose cover.This is not the main thrust of this new blog but I wanted to put this out there because it is useful and illustrates my philosophy of doing more with less. Here is a picture series for making a simple tool to make hydraulic hose covers out of scraps of plastic water pipe. I started with a block of oak, but pine should