Who can use a home or small business hydro power system?
To build a small hydropower system, you need access to flowing water. A sufficient quantity of falling water must be available, which usually, but not always, means that hilly or mountainous sites are best. There are specific methods for calculating whether the water flow you have is sufficient to power a turbine. What are the advantages of using a hydro system? Although there are costs in buying and installing the system, a hydro power system will typically last a long time and maintenance is usually not expensive. In addition, there are a variety of financial incentives available on the state, utility, and federal level for investments in renewable energy systems. They include income tax credits, property tax exemptions, state sales tax exemption, loan programs, and special grant programs. What are the system components? Small run-of-the-river hydro power systems consist of these basic components: Water conveyance-channel, pipeline, or pressurized pipeline (penstock) that delivers th
