"Don't come near me with that *&^%*! tape recorder!"
Huh, maybe he's just not a morning person.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Micro Hydro 101
"Don't come near me with that *&^%*! tape recorder!"
Huh, maybe he's just not a morning person.
Micro Hydro 101
Upon hearing that the Micro Hydro-Electric Project had been completed, we stopped by to turn on a bunch of stuff; we danced beneath the power of electric light and marveled at the miracle of the modern clothes dryer. It took me back to the days when I got my first very-own washer/dryer stacked combo (not so long ago) and how I often stood in awe at my new life now severed from the mini-mall Laundromat. No longer would I face the challenge of pilfered panties and odd socks. Never again would I delay between washings. I had left the world of the quarter-rolls behind me for good and now, just for a moment, within the trance of the spin cycle, I smiled on those simpler times… but enough about me.
Chris, can you explain to us how this damn thing got started?
Here's the deal on the Micro Hydro System at Sturtevant Camp. The project began in June of 2004 at the height of the draught and it began initially as a way of diverting water to our tank because our spring had dried up which is the primary source for drinking water at the camp.
We began by putting in one and one-quarter inch diameter schedule 80 PVC pipe. This was a real labor of love. A number of people were involved in it (Sharon and Carolyn to name just a couple) there were probably a dozen people involved with it all along. Basically what happened was 980 feet of pipe was either bored through a dam or buried so it’s a very stealthy system.
Can you tell us in simple terms how this system generates electricity?
Sure. In those 980 feet, the pipe drops 130 feet in elevation to the location of the turbine and that's what provides the power for the turbine to operate. What that means is those 130 feet of drop is basically 57 pounds of pressure at all times when the water column is not moving. That's called static pressure. When the pipe is flowing that pressure drops down to 40.5 PSI and that water is shooting through a quarter inch diameter nozzle and it uses about 12 gallons per minute to do that. It turns the turbine at approximately 1800 RPM and it's generating about 110 watts of energy at 24 volts. That energy is transported underground through six gauge wire up to the generator shed which is about 95 feet away then that power is stored in deep cycle gel cel batteries which are sealed.
So you can store this energy in batteries to be used later?
Yes, there are about 324 amp hours of storage in these batteries. It's six batteries all wired up in parallel and in series. It's a 424 volt system. That power goes through a charge controller, a C40 Xantrex power controller and what that does is that controller makes a determination of how much power goes into the batteries. And when the batteries are filled or 'float charged' as the term is, the power has to be diverted somewhere so it goes to what is called a diversion load and in this case it’s a resistance heater that turns electrical energy into heat. So it creates a little bit of warmth when the batteries are full. From the batteries the power goes through an inverter and its inverted from DC form into AC or 'alternating current' form and feeds the camp.
So how much electricity are you generating?
We're basically generating 2.8 kw a day and what means is we can probably put out about 2.5 a day or if we miss a day and we don’t use any appliances (for example on a day I'm gone) we bank that power and now I can use 5 kw the next day and on and on. So there are some advantages to being gone a few days because now we have much more power than we ever used to have at one time.
That sounds so simple!
Well, yes kids, that's it. The system ended up costing about $7,500. $4,000 of which was raised through personal donations. The balance of the funding came from the Capital Asset Fund within the Annual Conference that owns the camp.
Would you like to mention a few of the benefits created by this cleaner system?
I would love to. Without the generator running you can use the lights at any time of day if you need them without a hiker coming through having to listen to the generator and without us here in camp having to listen to it either. It also, of course, results in air quality improvement as we're not burning any fuel. The water pressure creates the power needed to turn the turbine. In addition, the expenses of this system are nearly non-extent in comparison to the generator. Generators have numerous moving parts which need to be constantly maintained. In contrast, the turbine has only one moving part which would need maintenance approximately once every three years. Also it's a huge improvement in terms of the camp's fire safety. We no longer have an issue with spark arresters because there are no sparks! Naturally, every ounce of water we use goes back into the stream bed.
It's been so much fun talking to you, Chris! Hey... we'll see you soon!
Chris, can you explain to us how this damn thing got started?
Here's the deal on the Micro Hydro System at Sturtevant Camp. The project began in June of 2004 at the height of the draught and it began initially as a way of diverting water to our tank because our spring had dried up which is the primary source for drinking water at the camp.
We began by putting in one and one-quarter inch diameter schedule 80 PVC pipe. This was a real labor of love. A number of people were involved in it (Sharon and Carolyn to name just a couple) there were probably a dozen people involved with it all along. Basically what happened was 980 feet of pipe was either bored through a dam or buried so it’s a very stealthy system.
Can you tell us in simple terms how this system generates electricity?
Sure. In those 980 feet, the pipe drops 130 feet in elevation to the location of the turbine and that's what provides the power for the turbine to operate. What that means is those 130 feet of drop is basically 57 pounds of pressure at all times when the water column is not moving. That's called static pressure. When the pipe is flowing that pressure drops down to 40.5 PSI and that water is shooting through a quarter inch diameter nozzle and it uses about 12 gallons per minute to do that. It turns the turbine at approximately 1800 RPM and it's generating about 110 watts of energy at 24 volts. That energy is transported underground through six gauge wire up to the generator shed which is about 95 feet away then that power is stored in deep cycle gel cel batteries which are sealed.
So you can store this energy in batteries to be used later?
Yes, there are about 324 amp hours of storage in these batteries. It's six batteries all wired up in parallel and in series. It's a 424 volt system. That power goes through a charge controller, a C40 Xantrex power controller and what that does is that controller makes a determination of how much power goes into the batteries. And when the batteries are filled or 'float charged' as the term is, the power has to be diverted somewhere so it goes to what is called a diversion load and in this case it’s a resistance heater that turns electrical energy into heat. So it creates a little bit of warmth when the batteries are full. From the batteries the power goes through an inverter and its inverted from DC form into AC or 'alternating current' form and feeds the camp.
So how much electricity are you generating?
We're basically generating 2.8 kw a day and what means is we can probably put out about 2.5 a day or if we miss a day and we don’t use any appliances (for example on a day I'm gone) we bank that power and now I can use 5 kw the next day and on and on. So there are some advantages to being gone a few days because now we have much more power than we ever used to have at one time.
That sounds so simple!
Well, yes kids, that's it. The system ended up costing about $7,500. $4,000 of which was raised through personal donations. The balance of the funding came from the Capital Asset Fund within the Annual Conference that owns the camp.
Would you like to mention a few of the benefits created by this cleaner system?
I would love to. Without the generator running you can use the lights at any time of day if you need them without a hiker coming through having to listen to the generator and without us here in camp having to listen to it either. It also, of course, results in air quality improvement as we're not burning any fuel. The water pressure creates the power needed to turn the turbine. In addition, the expenses of this system are nearly non-extent in comparison to the generator. Generators have numerous moving parts which need to be constantly maintained. In contrast, the turbine has only one moving part which would need maintenance approximately once every three years. Also it's a huge improvement in terms of the camp's fire safety. We no longer have an issue with spark arresters because there are no sparks! Naturally, every ounce of water we use goes back into the stream bed.
It's been so much fun talking to you, Chris! Hey... we'll see you soon!
Monday, March 13, 2006
Do not feed or touch the horses
We heard it was snowing in the mountains, but we weren't there. Instead we took the trail from Temescal Canyon to Will Rogers Park and I must say it was a beautiful day to appreciate a view all the way to Catalina. And for my part, I wasn't sorry to be missing the freezing cold.
We were early, the trail was empty and the park was quiet. We startled one doe out for a stroll and we stood frozen in the trail as she watched us.
And the end of a brisk five miles, we visited with the most enormous horse I've ever seen. Sharon says maybe it was a Clydesdale. Of course there was no camera but take my word for it, the horse was huge and he was king of the corral. We watched a bit while he bullied his mates for the tastiest bits of breakfast and none of them put up a fight. The sign said no touching but I couldn't resist and so we broke the law as well. What is the punishment for touching the horse, I wonder?
Monday, March 06, 2006
这是很好的见面 Sam !
Sharon and I ran into Sam at Hogee's Camp. He asked us where we were going and said he'd never been to Sturtevant. We convinced him to come with us and see the Camp and even subjected him to a tour of the Micro Hydro Electric project. Still not finished with him, we dragged him around the entire Mt. Zion loop. It was a beautiful day though and we only wonder how he manages to look so tidy after nearly 15 miles.
我们后会有期 Sam!
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Let It Snow!
Ahhhhh. It was snowing this past weekend (Feb 19th). Full-on snowfall at 3,000 ft. Chris' Irises looked beautiful, if not slightly surprised poking out of the ground to find themselves covered in a soft white blanket. Not quite enough to build a snowman but cold enough to be inspired.
Chris gave us the latest on the micro-hydro-electric project which seems to be progressing nicely. I can't say how the whole thing works really, but what I understand is that the entire camp will run on electricity generated by the power of rushing water. The energy will be harnassed and stored in batteries and the batteries will be used to power things like lights, radios, power tools, washing machines and of course the occassional hairdryer! Sturtevant Camp will be powered solely by renewable energy and its all been made possible by Chris' unending enthusiasm and ferocious tenacity (and little help from his friends).
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