The photo is sourced from pv-magazine.com
The hydroelectric plant designed for the sealed pipelines uses differential water pressure for electricity generation. The 30-kg device with the size of 580 mm x 330 mm is equipped with a rotary generator whose rotation speed ranges from 450 to 5,000 rpm. The plant costs 980 thousand Japanese yen ($6,760). As Yumes Frontier estimates, investment recouping will take eight to nine years, while the device estimated life is two decades.
The development of Yumes Frontier will add to the series of innovations in the small hydropower industry. Previously, VerdErg created a mini hydroelectricplant able to generate electricity in shallow waters. The plant, outwardly resembling a Venturi tube (the device for measuring the water flow speed), consists of three parts: an inlet cone with a turbine installed n it, a narrowed middle for the water flow acceleration, and an expanding diffuser where this flow slows down. The 30 kW plant was tested in the English county of Cambridgeshire last year where it was used for power provision to more than three dozens private households.
Hydropower is the second most popular renewable source among the off-grid RES (renewable energy source) generators. Global off-grid renewable generation capacity was 11.2 GW in 2021, 4.9 GW of which was solar, 1.9 GW – hydro and 4.4 GW – all the other types of plants, as follows from the data of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
