From water to wire--harnessing the energy of running water.

Waterpower is the largest source of renewable energy in the world today, and microhydro is a mature, proven technology that can provide clean, inexpensive, renewable energy with little or no impact on the environment. Serious Microhydro brings you dozens of firsthand stories of energy independence covering a complete range of systems, from household pressure sites to higher pressure installations capable of powering a farm, business, or small neighborhood. Topics include: Low head and medium head sites AC-only systems as well as ones using a battery/inverter subsystem Stand alone power supply or grid intertie setups Hybrid systems (combined with photovoltaics or wind) With all the variables involved in microhydro, there is no “typical” system. These case studies represent the most comprehensive collection of knowledge and experience available for tailoring an installation to meet the needs of a site and its owner or operators. If you are considering building a system, you are bound to find a wealth of creative solutions appropriate to your own circumstances. Serious Microhydro shows how scores of people are achieving a high standard of living from local energy sources with a minimal ecological footprint. It has particular appeal to homeowners, teachers, renewable energy professionals, activists, and decision makers who want to understand the technology from a “hands-on” perspective. Scott Davis is an award-winning renewable energy project developer with decades of experience operating, installing, designing, selling, and teaching microhydro technology. He is a founder and president of Friends of Renewable Energy BC, and the author of Microhydro: Clean Power From Water.

The essential guide to energy independence – fully revised and updated

This striking volume delivers contemporary perspectives on water as a resource, with the majority of the material reflecting stances of countries other than the United States. Essays are assembled across four chapters that explain the state of our oceans, how we are managing water scarcity, how various cultures are trying to access safe water, and hydropower. Essay contributors include the HM Government, Department of Energy and Climate Change, The Economist, Integrated Regional Information Networks News, Zhou Jigang, Peng Guangcan, Kieran R. Hickey, and Mae-Wan Ho.

Our environment and society is threatened by fuel shortages, a changing climate and energy wars. In our race for survival we are awakened to the simple truth that the essential condition of sustainability lies in our ability to live within the limits and renewability of natural resources. It invokes within us an urgent need for transition from an obsolete, destructive and unsustainable energy path to a sustainable path of innovation, renewable energy and peace. The good news is that the technology required to make this transition is already available. From an author with over thirty years' experience campaigning for and setting up renewable energy projects around the world, this book is unique for its interdisciplinary approach-interweaving technology, economics, environmental science, philosophy, history, spirituality and politics, asserting that to understand the crisis and find a sustainable solution requires a holistic perspective. Readers will understand the vast renewable resource we have at our disposal in the form of solar, wind, water, heat and biogas, and the technologies used to harness this power. There are also the emerging prospects of solar hydrogen fuel cells, biofuels and geothermal. The true economic advantages of a shift to a renewables-based economy (and how we can get there) are also laid out clearly. There's much to learn from examples around the world while we devise local and appropriate solutions. Written for a crossover readership of students, educators, professionals, academics, activists and policymakers, both nationally and internationally, this is a comprehensive but readable and practical book that will inspire readers to wake others up to our renewable solutions.

Highly illustrated and practical, Microhydro is the first complete book on the topic in many years. Covering both AC and DC systems, it first introduces the important principles on which microhydro is based, including the advantages and disadvantages of using small amounts of water to generate power. Along with a glossary of microhydro terms, further reading and resources - including websites and commerical suppliers - Microhydro includes all the information a homeowner needs to start generating clean, off-grid, and independent power.