If you have running water at your site, you may want to consider it’s suitability for a hydro power system. Before you get started, you need to consider the following key points.

How do I know if my site is suitable for hydro?

Just because you have a stream running through your site does not automatically mean it will be suitable for a hydro installation. The best sites are those which have both a high flow rate (the amount of water passing down the river) and a high head (which is the amount of vertical drop in the water flow). It is possible to build a hydro installation where only one of these values is high, but this is unlikely to deliver the full potential of the installation.

Site measurements

Water flow data is highly site dependant, so very little publically available data exists that can be reliably used to help assess the output of your potential installation. Some data is available for around 200 UK sites in the National River Flow Archive to get you started. Therefore it will be essential to take water flow readings at your site over at least 12 month period – The British Hydro Association offers guidance on how these readings can be taken and used to calculate potential system outputs.

Landower consent

The vast majority of hydro installations involve civil engineering work, to construct system components such as weirs. This will require specific consent from all landowners, and any significant diversion of water from a public river will also require consideration and approval from the Environment Agency. All of these matters should be assessed with a hydro consultant before proceeding with any development.

Site assessment

If, having completed this initial steps, you think a hydro installation would work for at your site, it is a good idea to get an initial site assessment to confirm there are no additional technical issues which will affect the viability of hydro at your site. An initial consultation with a consultant will take around 3 days and cost in the region of £500 - £1000. This is particularly necessary for a hydro installation, as many factors can affect the output levels of a scheme and so expert help is advisable before any firm commitment is made.