Author Archives: hugh

About hugh

I live off-grid in NW Scotland and have spent my life playing with wind turbines. I also love small hydros. Hands on renewable energy is my thing and I like to learn and to share my experiences.

Choosing your pipe size for a hydro turbine

Posted on 17/07/2024 by hugh

I spend a lot of my time doing “what if” scenarios for people who want a hydro turbine.  I use the Powerspout online calculation tool to get me quick answers.  I can edit the numbers, and the screen will update … Continue reading →

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More new Powerspout installations

Posted on 06/06/2024 by hugh

A few of my customers’ installations over the last six months or so.  As ever these are mostly a work in progress, and may look a bit messy, but will get tidied up in due course.  The exciting thing is … Continue reading →

Posted in PowerSpout hydro turbines | Leave a comment

Powerspout documents for download

Posted on 18/03/2024 by hugh

Powerspout turbines do not come with paper manuals included, because the manuals are online in the Document Index.   You can find the index on the web site under “Advice and Resources”.  We put a lot of work into preparation … Continue reading →

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Some Powerspout installations by customers over the last 12 months

Posted on 19/11/2023 by hugh

Here is a random collection of pictures sent to me by customers with PowerSpout turbines.  In many cases they were still in the throes of installing the turbine(s) so please do not judge too harshly if they look a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in PowerSpout hydro turbines, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Materials for my metric Wind Turbine Recipe Book designs

Posted on 05/10/2023 by hugh

With the publication of an updated 2023 edition of my metric Wind Turbine Recipe Book it seems appropriate to update my suggestions for sourcing materials.  Often the best supplier will be a local one, but I will offer some links … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Powerspout Pacific island installation video

Posted on 18/07/2023 by hugh

Background document with photos here. All Powerspout documents and videos here

Posted in developing world, hydro, People, PowerSpout hydro turbines | Leave a comment

Installing a Powerspout Coanda intake

Posted on 27/11/2022 by hugh

Some good photos from a recent installation trip to a Pacific Island by Michael Lawley and his son Edward show best practice for installing their Coanda intake. Water is impounded in a small pool behind the intake so that it … Continue reading →

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Estimating your head

Posted on 02/07/2022 by hugh

I just did a wee video about methods of estimating head and put it on Youtube.  It’s a bit rough in places, but I hope it helps. Shown in this video are the following methods: Using a contour map (in … Continue reading →

Posted in hydro, PowerSpout hydro turbines, Video links | 1 Comment

Nice LH turbine installation

Posted on 11/06/2022 by hugh

Mill sites are often ideal for the PowerSpout LH turbine.  Here is a nice one in England installed recently.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

More Photos of DIY turbine installations working well

Posted on 22/01/2022 by hugh

Some recent installations that I have helped with remotely.  The owners of these turbines were kind enough to share these glimpses of the installation process, and of course they went ahead and tidied them up afterwards, but I rarely get … Continue reading →

Posted in hydro, PowerSpout hydro turbines | Leave a comment