Inventer Cracks Centuries-old Puzzle (ultra low-head micro-hydro generator)

Thanx for posting this!

in the hill country.

Never knew what "low head" was (meaning the height the water dropped) until now.

I cross posted this in the Science forum:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=228x26180

solar heating. :)

A spring feeds our creek year round with constant flow and then feed Second Creek, which then goes into the Tennessee River.

We got the idea when the fire dept. used our ford to park a truck to fill up their tanker when the city's water level was low and the city was on water rationing yet our creek was gushing over 200gpm nonstop.

We are measuring the flow at various stages and the drop from various points, as we do not want a dam, rather a fish/mill pond that feed upstream and then reconnects above the ford, so that the downstream flow will never by interrupted. We propose excavating the pond, then make the race at the pond, then have the water go back downstream, with several islands in the pond and a cabin there also, and ultimately, the generator. There are the remains of several old water mills in the area, and I always wonder why they went away....