 Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me. |
Forum Index : Other Stuff : river hydro
| Author | Message | ||||
| MOBI Guru  Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
How many rivers do we have in OZ that flow all year round? I just wondered if we placed a weir in a river (with a lock to let boats through), and channelled all the water through a barrage of inline water turbines (a bit like Snowy Mts scheme without the fall), would we generate significant electricity? At least the power generated would be 24/7. It mightn't be a lot but it shouldn't be too intrusive. Or, is it already being done somewhere? David M. |
||||
norcold Guru Joined: 06/02/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 670 |
Often thought on that one, we have 100 km plus of irrigation channels bringing the waters of the east flowing Barron River over the great divide into the west flowing Walsh River and Eureka Creek. All downhill, the Walsh river has 3 weirs, Eureka Ck 1 weir and before this irrigation scheme was built only flowed in the wet, they now flow all year. All built back in the 50s & 60s. You only have to look at the fast flowing water in the concrete channels( 2 to 3m wide, 1 to 2m deep) to see the potential. A already built system, that would require the addition of the hydro generators, power lines service the 100`s of farms (200 acre average)that run right along the river and channels. Just require the "will". Those weirs are fully sanded up unfortunately and the channels almost, a scheme where a large private contractor was to remove these sand resources a few years back (for construction and road materials at no cost to the tax payer) was knocked back by local public protest(social correctness again). Reason being such excavation would bring about short term poor water quality and "destroy" the environment. (An environment that wasn't there before the irrigation scheme) No doubt if you were to suggest placing many hydro turbines on this system you`d be interfering with the current "environment" and be brought down like the above earthmoving contractor was. Interfering with a pristine concrete ecological bio system 
I have been dubbed the "eccentric fool on the hill" with my recent attempt to have a solar farm built here (still ongoing) I have not the courage to suggest hydro, which would be sensible but not socially correct. Should the solar farm become a reality(doubtful) I`d probably be encouraged to give hydro a go. I guess there is a lot of truth in the old saying "you can take horses to water but you can`t make them drink it" Replaced sheep with horses for social correct reasons We come from the land downunder. Vic |
||||
yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Landline on the ABC had a feature on the weekend about a tassie fellow who has set up a prototype hydro scheme and was about to go full scale (power 500 homes?). I didn't see all of it, might see if there is a repeat or I-view has it. He was having trouble with the change in govt policy on alternative energy, I heard that bit. I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
||||
| norcold Guru Joined: 06/02/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 670 |
Tassie Hydro Above is the news cut edition of that, heaps of rivers in QLD falling from great divide down to sea level in 100 ks or so, heaps of head, heaps of potential. We have a few in operation Barron Falls Hydro (part of irrigation scheme in last post), Kombalumba (on the Tully R) to name two, all built around half way through last century. Like the Snowy such schemes are not for today. We come from the land downunder. Vic |
||||
| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Dont worry Norcold, I will take some of the pressure off of you. I am about to try a technique called "pasturecropping" It is letting the weeds grow and mulching them down instead of spending a quarter of a million on chemicals to kill the plants and bare the ground.  sheer blasphemy.
I predict rioting in the streets and calls for a straightjacket. On the other hand, if it works I expect one of these new fangled Knighthoods. Arise Sir Nutjob! 
I still cant get used to the size of the hydro impeller box, its tiny, love to know how much friction is involved and how the water gets away from the blades. I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
||||
| M Del Senior Member  Joined: 09/04/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 155 |
Yahoo, make sure you cut before the weeds set seed or you will forever be fighting them. Have you considered a sweet pea/clover cover that can be partially harvested for silage hay and the rest left as mulch? Regarding the size of impellor box, was the one in the clip referenced above from a pilot plant? The clip seemed to cover a bit of time and the main unit comes on line in a couple of months. I may be wrong. Mark |
||||
| norcold Guru Joined: 06/02/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 670 |
Not using chemicals!!!!!!!, you`ll be stoned in the street. Battle on, the 4M would love to have a Sir Yahoo2. The things we do for our passions.
I thought that box was from the pilot plant. We come from the land downunder. Vic |
||||
| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Yep, 10 metres of front mount and 3 point linkage or trailed slasher is on the shopping list. I have done some trials for the last 3 years and the results are ....mixed. I think the weed competition thing changes as the soil improves. I must admit I am seeing things I have never seen before, one paddock that had soil that would bounce a crowbar back into your face and hardly mark 15 years ago, yesterday I pushed my finger into the solid ground right up to my knuckles with very little effort (and it is dry clay). I cant do a lot of legume varieties as my calcium and Ph are a little high but I do have medics, field peas and vetches to start with. the pilot plant is still 32 homes, I would imagine that would still be 600+ Kw per day and maybe 90Kw peak load. I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
||||
| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
If it catches on I will certainly be blamed for the ruin of the three biggest businesses in my local area (chemical suppliers) I dont think I have too much to worry about, it will be a long road. I was one of the early no-till farmers in Australia probably in the first forty or fifty. It took five year before a second person in my area decided to have a go as well. I copped 6 years of abuse for that, now, 30 years on, it is standard practice. I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
||||
| domwild Guru Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
The Ord river in the Kimberlies has had a hydro plant placed into it, I believe it was not there initially after the dam was built, shame! If you have a huge volume, then you do not need a big head. The Danube in Austria and other countries has been dammed up many times and produces a lot of juice. Now that we are less "green" politically and with more unemployed the "NO DAMS" group will have less influence. Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
||||
| norcold Guru Joined: 06/02/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 670 |
For interest had a boo-peek at Pacific Hydro, owner of the Ord Hydro. They have utilised irrigation channel water for hydro power. Hydro on the Channel But note where some of the capital came from. We come from the land downunder. Vic |
||||
| MOBI Guru Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
@Vic Here is a couple of clips from the Pac Hydro website. If I had money in Industry Super, I would be more than just a little nervous. At the moment these super funds are getting great returns thanks to the generous subsidies paid by the tax payer. What happens when the REC's are scrapped? David M. |
||||
| norcold Guru Joined: 06/02/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 670 |
Look at the whole list of Cos in CEC. You`d have to say their all on welfare. Bit like having paedophiles running the orphanage. Independent Renewable Energy Authority what a joke. But can`t say I blame them, grab it while you can, guess once the whole farce is closed down it will not be retrospective, so we`ll be funding for a lot of years. Personally I believe its done the industry no good and will set RE back years simply because of the stigma attached. Fellows in fossils will have to change banks again, they`ll have filled the old ones up. We come from the land downunder. Vic |
||||
| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Cos CEC ???? Bushboy |
||||
| norcold Guru Joined: 06/02/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 670 |
Sorry Companies and Clean Energy Corp. Check out their web site, very influential lot, they must be rolling in dough from all over the world. Backed by $10 billion we (tax payers)put into the Clean Energy Finance Corp. CEFP plus the Renewable Energy Target RET. All these were foreign to me before I started on my solar project, my apologises. From my viewpoint, I`ve become very disillusioned with the RE industry, has little to do with slowing pollution, become a big money grabbing industry which will set RE back. Guess it was very naïve of me to think it would not occur. We come from the land downunder. Vic |
||||
 Print this page |
