On Tue, 5 Feb 2019 08:30:53 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 3 Feb 2019 13:54:17 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


When I was little my father bought lumber to repair our 1830 house
at
a water-powered sawmill.

Really cool.

The sawmill was a commercial operation. I didn't realize it was
powered by water until they opened a hatch in the floor and showed me
the Francis turbine in the stream under the building. The dam, pond
and an ice house were on the other side of the road.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_turbine

Besides the standard wooden wheel style used on old mills, I've seen
Pelton style used in small hydro. Francis is new to me. I saw the
design for Jonval turbines, thinking that it looked considerably lower
in efficiency. I never did search for the differences.


Unlike a vertical wooden water wheel, a Francis turbine in operation
is as picturesque as a garbage disposal. There are others still
generating micro-hydro electricity around here, including one under
the mill building space the blacksmith rents.
https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/...nts/notado.pdf
Notice how many small dams are or were a hydropower generating
facility.

Many of the small dams were financed by the selling of the electrical
output from their hydro systems. I've been meaning to go see our
local Lost Creek Lake/William L. Jess Dam hydro. Free tours if you
call ahead. 49mW output.


--
"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined
and that we can do nothing to change it look before they cross
the road." --Steven Hawking