Waterpower Engineering provide a host of services to both industrial and residential customers. The following are just some we offer.

• Site feasibility study
• Turbine selection
• Restore existing plant
• Build new plant
• Project manage plant construction
• Power production
• On-site power usage
• Power export to SEMO (Single Electricity Market Operator)

A feasibility study is essential part of modern day small Hydro installations.This applies to existing mill sites, which could be a 70 year old waterwheel-to-turbine in disrepair, to a greenfield project, involving a stretch of waterway that has not been developed for the production off energy.

A study typically involves:

1. Calculating the head available (the natural fall in the river,waterfall or a steep gradient in the natural river). One method of doing this is by determining the catchment area of the river from above the take off point and getting the rainfall for this area.
2. Determining the annual water flow for a year or number off years.
3. Discussing with local Fisheries Authority what the law requires based on the 1959 Fisheries act.
4. Make an appropriate turbine selection. There are approximately five different type of turbines which can be categorised based on high head, medium head or low head.
5. Budget the cost off installation.

Once the feasibility study has been carried out, Waterpower Engineering can construct or project manage the commissioning of the plant. The resulting power either be used on site, exported to the Single Electricity Market Operator, or a combination of both. Even in the case where the feasibility study has shown that the power production will be low, the output may be used on site to power a heatpump for example.

If you have specific specific requirements not listed above, please get in touch via the contact page.