Micro-Hydro

BGET helps rural communities to build and sustainably operate micro-hydro power systems. These systems utilize falling water in streams to drive a turbine and generate electricity for village homes, schools, clinics, and other community buildings. Because micro-hydro systems can provide large amounts of power, entire villages benefit from electricity use. Trained members of these rural communities are responsible for operating and maintaining these systems.

BGET uses an existing technology that has already proved functional and is currently providing benefits in several rural communities in our “first of their kind” installations in Thailand. BGET’s use of technology is distinguished as follows: we use an off-the-shelf centrifugal pump and run it backwards as a turbine. We also ran the pump’s induction motor backwards as a generator. With properly sized capacitors to provide excitation for the motor/generator, this new application can be used to generate electricity from falling water.

Centrifugal pumps are designed to pump water by using electricity. Now, through a pipe we direct water from a waterfall into the pump, which spins the pump’s impeller and creates electricity. Centrifugal pumps are a mature, widely available technology that is both simple and affordable. This ‘pump as turbine’ (PAT) technology was originally pioneered by the Arthur Williams and Nigel Smith at the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG). To our knowledge, we have been the first to pioneer it in SE Asia. PATs are robust – with only one moving part and no brushes to wear out. Furthermore, these pumps are known by technicians throughout the developing world thereby tapping into an already existing knowledge base. By using this existing technology in a new way, micro-hydro capacity around the world can be greatly expanded.