Off-grid Hydro installed

WD Power recently commissioned a turn-key installation on the farm, Mazuri, near Tzaneen. The owner, Louis Joubert, has a keen interest in hydro and he realized that he had a sustainable hydro potential on his farm. He had been experimenting with different Hydro solutions but could not get a total solution for his requirements, and he approached WD Power to obtain a solution for his power requirements and become independent of the grid.

Design considerations focused on using as many standard components as possible. This will enable the client to do basic maintenance with parts that are readily available. All turbine parts were locally manufactured in South Africa. This was combined with equipment readily available in the solar industry. The installation includes a locally designed and manufactured turbine to match the available energy profile as well as the energy usage profile of the client. This was integrated with a battery & inverter system. The small scale of the hydro required proper integration with a unique design to ensure that the system remains cost effective.

The site specification is 20 l/s at a head of 45m in summer. The Pelton turbine was designed with two fixed configurations. This would result in 3.8 kW on the “Winter” nozzle and 5 kW on the “Summer” nozzle. The smaller “Winter” nozzle will ensure uninterrupted generation during the winter months when the site has less water. Generation output is sent to a 10 kW inverter system with battery backup. The turbine stops and starts automatically, based on the battery level. This combination provides constant power to the client, with minimum maintenance or manual interaction. Data recorded showed that the “Winter” nozzle is suitable to provide the daily average power requirement. The battery bank allows peak loads to exceed the turbine output kW.

This hydro installation provides the owner a total solution, independent of grid power. Not only does this provide a cost saving on electricity, but also a reliable power supply in an area where grid power is unreliable.

WD Power can provide these turnkey solutions, big or small to industry or private clients. If you feel that you have hydro potential at a site, please feel free to call us so we can evaluate your potential!

Please contact WD Power if you would like further information on this project!