A former AV engineer is building his own mini hydroelectric power plant in his backyard and explains how it’s done on his YouTube channel.
With rising electricity prices, many people are looking for ways to generate free energy. A YouTuber named Cristof says he hasn’t paid for electricity in over two years. This former audiovisual engineer runs a mini hydroelectric power station that he built himself.
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Cristof mini-hydroelectric power station
The man is retired and likes to tinker in his garden. A few years ago, he decided to build a mini hydroelectric power station which he commissioned in October 2019. Since then, stop paying for electricitylives like everyone else with household appliances and heats with firewood.
The production of its mini hydroelectric plant does not allow it to provide heating. Cristof had also installed 14 photovoltaic panels which produce 4.05 kWp, but the small stream that crosses his garden seemed the ideal source to ensure electricity in all seasons. In 2017, he started pitching his project, not sure if it would work.
The project.
To build his mini hydroelectric plant, he first bought the parts online. To do this, he chose a Peltron turbine and generator, then variable displacement injectors on an Italian site. Then he had a metal case made. Once the parts were received, it only took 10 days to put everything together. He then built the penstock with polyethylene tubes 50 mm in diameter, 150 m long and 64 m high.
How it works.
The water is drawn from a roadside nozzle, filtered and redirected into the pipe. When it reaches the turbine, the pressure is 6.5 bar. This generates a maximum of 800 W, a relatively high power which guarantees perfect autonomy. The voltage that reaches the house is 350 V. The line is also connected to a solar inverter and a 14.5 kWh domestic battery, consisting of 1,120 type 18,650 lithium-ion cells.
Obviously, this lithium battery allows you to store the energy produced and use it according to your needs. In 2021, he repeated his feat by building a new tidal turbine with a new Pelton turbine and managed to produce 1,005 W and 23 kWh of energy per day.
You can enable subtitles and automatic translation in the video to follow the whole process.
You can get more information on his youtube channel: @christof48