Pico hydro is the name for generating hydro electricity of up to 5 kW. Above that it is called micro hydro or mini hydro. The main benefits of hydro are that it is a constant source of power (unlike wind or solar) and is low maintenance and reliable though it can be expensive to install, especially if any major groundworks need carrying out.

Is there potential for hydro generation?

If you happen to have access to running water which you can tap into then there are several issues to sort out

• Do you have the legal right to extract energy from the water?
• Is the flow of water regular enough throughout the year?
• Is there sufficient head to generate power?
• Can you divert the water without causing any significant environmental damage? (eg to fish)

FIT or DIY

If you think you can answer yes to the above questions then there is a basic decision to be made: Do you want to go with the government Feed-in Tariff scheme or do you want to go it alone and be responsible for designing and installing your own scheme.

Note that to be able to receive cashback incentives through the government ‘Clean Energy Cashback’ scheme the project cannot be on a DIY basis: it has to be carried out by a certified installer. This will include assessment and design of the scheme.

The Feed in tariff scheme offers good long term rewards but there may be reasons you would rather take control of the process yourself. To go with the Feed in tariff scheme go to the EST Hydroelectricity section (note that Scotland has a different page). If you want to do it your own way, read on.

Rolling your own

Because there is very little modern experience of pico hydro in the UK, a lot of the on line information tends to be from abroad, particularly the US where dispersed rural communities and isolated houses have driven the market. Several manufacturers publish useful information. Eg. see the Hydro Turbines site.

Try downloading the CAT information sheets – Micro Hydro Power Factsheet and Hydro Power Resource Guide. Also check out the British Hydropower Association. Although they deal mainly with larger installations than pico hydro there is a lot of useful information.

There are various forums and videos:

The University of Nottingham has a Pico hydro web site covering the subject. Although mainly aimed at the developing world, it covers the basics well.

IT Power have been developing an innovative syphon type of turbine for low head use.

Cashback incentives for the installation of microgeneration are now available. For more details visit the Energy Saving Trust website

Michell-banki / Ossberger

The Banki crossflow turbine was invented and developed for situations where there is a low head of water, a common situation in the UK. It can work down to a couple of metres or so head. It is also relatively easy to construct for anyone with a small workshop and very basic engineering skills.

Fieldlines.com: The Otherpower discussion board. See the post - Post by: robl on August 19, 2010, 04:32:22 PM along with his video

Yahoo Groups - Micro hydro

Yahoo Groups – Pico hydro

Community schemes

There was a Green Communities program but this was unfortunately abandoned by the government in March 2011. What happened to the Big Society? There is a legacy web site with some useful info.

In Scotland there is the CARES program which includes loans for community schemes