Page 28 RAIN June/July 1983 Another cost-cutting measure they discovered was to use a resister to keep the generator from overspeeding instead of investing in an expensive load controller. Much consideration has been given to the environmental impact of the project. The headworks were constructed with indigenous materials. The turbine is housed on a steel sled which can be winched to the site without the need of an access road. Some of the most difficult problems Mackaness and Graff faced were in their dealings with local officials for permits and licensing the system. No one had had experience with this kind of operation—what kind of permit is needed for a steel sled with a turbine attached? Mackaness and Graff are enthused about their project. "Hydro power is reliable and cost-effective," says Mackaness. "Our system paid for itself the first year, but then ours isn't a Cadillac. You have to do a lot of the work yourself to keep the costs down." Their system has been so successful that they recently installed a similar one on Gordon Creek (in the same general area), and they plan to put in a third system as soon as they can get the paperwork signed. With the installation of each new system, they meet their goal of demonstrating to other small farm owners how to produce low-cost electricity, and thus, become more self-sufficient. (Roger Mackaness and Cliff Graff, Pit Run, Inc., Rt. 1, Box 1780, Corbett, OR 97019). Home Hydro in Hereford Andrew and Ann Racey of Hereford, Oregon, live 12 miles from the nearest electric power lines. For years, they generated their own electricity using a diesel power plant. But the plant has not adequately served their family's electrical needs because it was too expensive to operate more than six hours a dqy. The Roy's waterwheel has attracted the interest ofseveral neighbors. In 1980, the Raceys received a USDOE grant to develop a small hydroelectric power plant to generate electricity for their homestead. They have installed a headgate on Larch Creek which can be manually raised or lowered to control the flow of water. The water flows from the headgate through a 12-inch diameter PVC pipe to a steel filter box, where sand, mud, and excess water are diverted back to the stream. The pipe connecting the filter box to the power plant has two air vents which allow the pipe to "breathe" when there is either a vacuum or a pressure build-up. The total distance between the headgate and the power plant is 3,000 feet, with a total drop in elevation of 100 feet. The power plant consists of an alternator and a Pelton wheel capable of producing approximately 2-3kW of electricity on a year-round basis. The electricity powers a washing machine, freezer, television, stereo, various household appliances, and "plenty of lights." Their refrigerator and stove run on propane, and the house is heated by wood and a propane wall heater. The only major problems they have encountered have been with spring flooding and power surges. During the heavy storms of this last spring, the stream flooded. Ailing the pipeline with mud and sand. They hope to have the system cleaned out and running again by mid-June. In order to solve the problem of power surges, they plan to install a regulator. With this hydroelectric power plant in operation, the Racey family has saved over $3,000 per year in fuel costs. Moreover, they are now able to enjoy electricity 24 hours a day. (Andy and Ann Racey, Stage Route, Box 49, Hereford, OR 97837). Low Head Hydro Thomas and Amy Roy's farm is located at the west edge of the Willamette Valley, along Mary's River near Corvallis. The Roys are developing their 40-acre wheat farm as an integrated, energy self-reliant system. In 1980, the Roys received a USDOE grant to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of using micro-hydropower from low-head, high-flow streams, which are common in western Oregon. The entire system is designed to be simple to build, operate, and maintain. The Roys, therefore, chose to use a low-head water wheel, a small dam, and a very short intake flume rather than a medium-head, overshot wheel or turbine system. The system uses an induction generator and feeds power into the local utility lines. The system operates at a 41 percent level of efficiency. This is normal for a water wheel, but less than the 50 to 70 percent efficiency which could be expected from a project using an enclosed turbine. The project cost, paid for by a combination of grant funds and Roy's money, exceeded $12,000. Even if the project operated at capacity year round, the cost would be more than 150 per kilowatt-hour. This indicates that water wheels using extremely low heads are not cost-effective unless there are no alternative sources of power available to the developer.
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