Hello all,
Here's an idea I've been considering for quite some time now. I've been thinking about buying (or building) a retirement home right on the banks of a fast moving stream. Being the tinkerer that I am, I am thinking about powering the house with a water wheel powered generator (for heat & power). If it's feasible the benefits are, of course, tremendous; free power, non-polluting, consistent energy production, would keep my wife (and me) from griping about the high cost of energy, etc.
I say consistent because I'm looking for a large enough stream that is fast moving enough that freezing over is unlikely. I also say consistent in relation to the unpredictability of say, wind power (ya gotta have wind), solar power (ya gotta have sun).
I'm considering possibly a 10KV - 12KV generator with a feedback loop to control the pitch on the water wheel blades for steady RPMs based on load variations.
I feel sure others have tried this but I'm just not familiar with any.
I'd like to know is this idea is feasible and/or practical. Are there downsides to this that I may not have thought of? All input is welcome.
Not sure if this post is best on EE or ME forum. I'm sure there's bleed over to both.
Thanks,
John
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