How to calculate the output of your water turbine project

How much power you can get from your micro hydropower plant

A simple formula for approximating electric power production at a hydroelectric plant is:
    P=H×R×G×Te×Ge
where Power in kilowatts, H is height in meters, R is flow rate in cubic meters per second, and G is gravity acceleration of 9.81 m/s/s, and fresh water with a density of 1000 kg per cubic meter, Te here is turbine efficiency from water power to turbine shaft end power, normally ranging from 60% to 90%, Ge here is generator efficiency from turbine shaft end power to generator output power, normally ranging from 80% to 95%, Efficiency is often higher with larger modern turbines and may be lower with very old or small installations due to proportionately higher friction losses, more smaller of the system, less efficiency of the system.

Here taking a sample of HS Dynamic Energy micro water turbine generator system, if you get a H with 40 meters, R with 0.1 cubic meters per second, Te with 75%, Ge with 85%, P=40×0.1×9.81×0.75×0.85=25kw per hour. If you have a constant water flow, you will get 25 kilowatts output every hour from your system.

Annual electric energy production depends on the available water supply. In some installations the water flow rate can vary by a factor of 10:1 over the course of a year, so if a power plant site can with stable water supply more than half year, it will be a good site for the owner.