Electricity can be created when a stream of high pressure water hits a water wheel attached to a generator.  The water wheel turns the generator, which contains a coil of wire surrounded by magnets.  The magnets pull the electrons around in the wire, which causes electricity. 

FSP's micro-hydro kit consists of a turgo wheel, a generator, diodes, some electrical hardware, a capacitor, and of course some instructions!  The kit is very easy to assemble, and the electrical setup is super simple and straightforward.  The kit is one of our more expensive, simply because the materials used are superb and designed to last.  The kit is from www.rockyhydro.com  

We chose the turgo wheel for use as our turbine because the highly efficient design isn't simply a paddle that the water hits; the curve of each spoon actually causes the water to do a 180 degree turn.  This dramatically increases the impact of the water on the wheel; the extra force that is causing the water do make a turn makes the wheel spin even faster.  The spoons are injection molded hard plastic, and are extremely durable.

Our generator is a 3 Phase Brushless DC Motor designed for long life and reliability.  Many electric motors incorporate brushes which cause sparks and eventually burn out; but our brushless motor does not have this issue.  The 3 phase design is also highly efficient for power generating applications.  The motor is NEMA size 34, CE certified, and RoHS compliant.

To put the kit together you will need to build a box.  Plywood is easiest, and can be coated with fiberglass epoxy or marine paint to make it water proof so it lasts.  Building an aluminum box is also an option.  Then the generater gets mounted on top, and the turgo wheel inside is attached directly to the generator shaft with a set screw.  It really is that simple. 

You can use PVC pipe that simply has a hole drilled in the end for a water nozzle.  Attach this to your water source.  A simple 1" PVC pipe is perfect for your pipe.  (In Micro-Hydro the pipe is called a pen-stock.)  1" PVC piping is actually cheaper than garden hose, is lighter, and has way better flow rates because of it's size. 

Lastly, connect the electrical components as shown and you are ready to generate some electricity!  All the conections are based on screw terminals, so you don't need to do any electrical soldering or anything technical.   

The hardest part can be locating a water source.  The kit described below is our basic kit, but FSP can provide a quote for the best turgo and generator combo that matches your site perfectly.  View our MICRO HYDRO ADVANCED page to learn more or email us now at customersfirst@fsplimited.com.  We also have a FREE micro-hydro calculator you can view or download by clicking HERE.

Our kit is a "low-flow, high-head" system meaning you need a minimal amount of water flow, but a significant amount of elevation drop to create the water pressure needed.  For the basic kit any of the below conditions will work just fine.  In general, a tiny stream flowing down a hill should suffice.  With these conditions, you'll be able to produce over 720 watt-hours per day and charge a 12 volt system.  (Note - 1" PVC pipe varies in diameter, most is actually larger than 1", which makes a significant difference on a longer pipe.)

The below conditons would also be good for the basic kit, and you can expect even more power!

If your conditions differ, we do offer generators of smaller and large size, and turgo wheels of larger size.  For example, if you have an elevation drop of 200 feet over a half mile, with a 3" pipe and 30 gallons per minute, we would suggest a turgo with the same spoon size but with a larger diameter, and a NEMA size 48 motor with 10 times the wattage rating of our basic model.  Please email customersfirst@fsplimited.com with your site conditions and we can help you put together the perfect customized system.  You can also open or download a free copy of our micro hydro calc so you can play with the numbers yourself.  Please don't settle for anything less; a turgo is most efficient when it spins at 48% of the velocity of the water jet.  Your generator needs to produce the maximum amount of power that your stream can create at that specific RPM.  So you need to match your site to a turgo and a generator combo.  Please email us for help, or view our ADVANCED PAGE to learn more.  We can provide much smaller and much larger systems. 

How much energy is 720 watt hours?  Well, you could run 3 of those energy saving light bulbs for 18 hours, or you could run a smaller boom box for 2 hours and 2 light bulbs for 6 hours and an alarm clock continuously and run a laptop for 2 hours and a small microwave for 4 minutes. 

Usually, micro hydro systems have a generator creating energy that is stored in batteries.  One or several car batteries can be used (depending on storage desired) or you can invest in larger deep cell or much nicer (but more spendy) dry batteries.  A charge controller is used to ensure the generator is not overchargeing the batteries, and an inverter is used to change the 12 volt DC power that is being stored into 120 volt AC power that you get out of your household outlets.  Please see our MICRO HYDRO ADVANCED page to learn more, and to see what products FSP offers.  These are excellent www.rockyhydro.com products.

The combination of the highly efficient turgo wheel and the three phase brushless generator makes for an incredible micro-hydro system.  And as always, our prices are unbeatable.  To order FSP's hydro generator kit, or any other micro-hydro components, please go to our ONLINE CATALOG.  All prices include free freight to the contenental US.  ALASKA and INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS- PLEASE EMAIL customersfirst@fsplimited.com FOR A FREIGHT QUOTE!