However, for extremely small power generation amounts, a flowing stream with as little as 13 inches of water can support a submersible turbine. A vertical drop of less than 2 feet (0.6 meters) will probably make a small-scale hydroelectric system unfeasible. Low head refers to a change in elevation of less than 66 feet (20 meters), and ultralow head refers to a change in elevation of less than 10 feet (3 meters). The higher the head the better because you'll need less water to produce a given amount of power and you can use smaller, less expensive equipment. Most micro-hydropower sites are categorized as low or high head. Head also is a function of the characteristics of the channel or pipe through which it flows. When evaluating a potential site, head is usually measured in feet, meters, or units of pressure. In a potential micro-hydropower site, head is the vertical distance that water falls. That will give you the system's output in watts (W). Simply multiply net head (the vertical distance available after subtracting losses such as pipe friction - the losses will depend on the type size of the pipe among other things, but can be estimated to be from 5 to 10 percent for preliminary calculations) by flow (use U.S. Once you've determined the head and flow, then you can use a simple equation to estimate the power output for a system with 50% to 70% efficiency or more, which is representative of most micro-hydropower systems.
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