Kennedy Creek Hydroelectric Systems Richard Perez copyright1990 by Richard A. Perez In the six thousand foot tall Marble Mountains of Northern California, it rains. Wet air flows straight from the Pacific Ocean only forty miles distant. This moist ocean air collides with the tall mountains and produces over sixty inches of rainfall annually. Add this rainfall with the spectacular vertical terrain and you have the prefect setting for hydroelectric power. This is the story of just one creek in hydro country and of five different hydro systems sharing the same waters. Kennedy Creek Kennedy Creek is on the west drainage of 4,800 foot tall Ten Bear Mountain. The head waters of Kennedy Creek are located in a marsh at 2,500 feet of elevation. The headwaters are spread out over a 10 acre area and the power of Kennedy Creek doesn't become apparent until its waters leave the marsh. After a winding course over five miles in length, Kennedy Creek finally empties its water into the Klamath River at about 500 feet elevation. This gives Kennedy Creek a total head of 2,000 vertical feet over its five mile run. The volume of water in Kennedy Creek is not very great. While we weren't able to get really hard data as to the amount of water, the residents guessed about 500 gallons per minute. Kennedy Creek is not large by any standards. It varies from two to eight feet wide and from several inches to about four feet deep. We were able to cross it everywhere and not get of feet wet. The point here is that you don't need all that much water if you have plenty of vertical fall. The Kennedy Creek Hydro Systems Kennedy Creek supports five small scale hydroelectric systems. Each system supplies electric power for a single household. Each system uses the water and returns it to the creek for use by the next family downstream. These systems are not new comers to the neighborhood; they have been in operation for an average of 7.6 years. These systems produce from 2.3 to 52 kilowatt-hours of electric power daily. Average power production is 22 kWh daily at an average installed cost of $4,369. If all the hydroelectric power produced by all five Kennedy Creek systems is totaled since they were installed, then they have produced over 305 megawatt- hours of power. And if all the costs involved for all five systems are totaled, then the total cost for all five systems is $21,845. This amounts to an average of 7› per kilowatt-hour. And that's cheaper than the local utility. One system, Gene Strouss's, makes power for 3› a kilowatt-hour, less than half charged by the local utility. All the power production data about the Kennedy Creek hydroelectric systems is summarized on the table below. All cost data is what the owners actually spent on their systems. Being country folks, they are adept at shopping around and using recycled materials. The cost figures do not include the hundreds of hours of labor that these hydromaniacs have put into their systems. INSERT TABLE So let's take a tour of the Kennedy Creek Hydros starting at the top of the creek and follow its waters downward to the Klamath River. Gary Strouss Gary Strouss wasn't home the day that Bob-O, Stan Strouss, and I visited Gary's hydroelectric site. Gary is a contractor and off about his business. So as a result, we got this info from his brother Stan and father, Gene (the next two systems down Kennedy Creek). Gary's hydroelectric system uses 5,300 feet of four inch diameter PVC pipe to deliver Kennedy Creek's water to his turbines. The head in Gary's system is 280 feet. In hydro lingo, head is the number of VERTICAL feet of drop in the system. Static pressure is 125 psi at the turbines. Gary uses two different hydroelectric generators. One makes 120 vac at 60 Hz. directly and the other produces 12 VDC. The 120 vac system is very similar to the one his father, Gene Strouss uses and is described in detail below. Gary's 120 vac system produces 3,00 watts about eight months of the year. During the summer dry periods, Gary switches to the smaller 12 Volt hydro. The 12 VDC system uses a Harris turbine that makes about 10 Amperes of current. The Harris turbine is fed from the same pipe system as the larger 120 vac hydro. Gary's home contains all the electrical conveniences, including a rarity in an AE powered home- an air conditioner! The 120 vac hydro produces about 48 kilowatt-hours daily, so Gary has enough power for electric hot water and space heating. Stan Strouss Stan's hydro is supplied by 1,200 feet of 2 inch diameter PVC pipe. His system has 180 feet of head. In Stan Strouss's system this head translates to 80 psi of static pressure, and into 74 psi of dynamic pressure into a 7/16 inch diameter nozzle. Stan uses a 24 Volt DC Harris hydroelectric system producing three to ten Amperes. Stan's hydro produces an average of 180 Watts of power. This amounts to 5,400 Watt-hours daily. The system uses no voltage regulation. The DC power produced by the hydro is stored in a 400 Ampere-hour (at 24 VDC) C&D lead-acid battery. These ancient cells were purchased as phone company pull-outs eight years ago. Stan plans to use an inverter to run his entire house on 120 vac. Currently. he uses 24 VDC for incandescent lighting. When I visited, there was a dead SCR type inverter mounted on the wall and Stan was awaiting delivery of his new Trace 2524. Stan's system is now eight years old. The only maintenance he reports is replacing the brushes and bearing in his alternator every 18 months. That and bears wrecking his water intake filters. Stan and his father, Gene, own and operate a sawmill and lumber business from their homesteads. This business, along with raising much of their own food, gives the Strouss families self-sufficiency. Gene Strouss Gene Strouss's hydroelectric system is sourced by 600 feet of six inch diameter steel pipe connected to 1,000 feet of four inch diameter PVC pipe. Gene got an incredible on the 20 foot lengths of steel pipe, only $5 a length. A twelve inch diameter horizontal cast steel Pelton wheel translates the kinetic energy of moving water into mechanical energy. The Pelton wheel is belted up from one to three and drives an 1,800 rpm, 120 vac, 60 Hz. ac alternator. All power is produced as 60 cycle sinusoidal 120 vac. The Pelton's mainshaft runs at a rotational speed of between 600 and 800 rpm. The output of the alternator is between 1,500 to 2,500 watts out depending on nozzle diameter. At an annual average wattage of 2,000 watts, Gene's turbine produces 48,000 watt-hours daily. The pipe delivers 60 psi dynamic pressure into a 9/16 inch in diameter nozzle, for summertime production of 1500 watts at 70 gallons per minute of water through the turbine. In wintertime with higher water levels in Kennedy Creek, Gene switches the turbine to a larger,13/16 inch diameter nozzle. Using the larger nozzle reduces the dynamic pressure of the system to 56 psi and produces 2,500 watts while consuming 90 gallons per minute. Gene's system is nine years old. The only maintenance is bearing replacement in the alternator every two years. Gene's system uses no batteries, all power is consumed directly from the hydro. Gene keeps a spare alternator ready, so downtime is minimal when it is time to rebuild the alternator. Regulation is via a custom made 120 vac shunt type regulator using a single lightbulb and many parallel connected resistors. Major system appliances are a large deep freezer, a washing machine, 120 vac incandescent lighting, and a television set. Gene's homestead is just about self-sufficient (which is why he needs his freezer). Hundreds of Pitt River Rainbow trout flourish in a large pond created by the Pelton wheel's tail water. The trout love the highly aerated tail water from the hydro turbine. Gene grew 100 pounds of red beans for this winter and maintains two large green houses for winter time vegetables. Gene Strouss also keeps a large apple orchard. Gene raises chickens and this, with the trout, make up the major protein portion of his diet. His major problem this year was bears raiding the apple orchard and destroying about half of the 250 trees. For a second course, the bears then ate up over sixty chickens, several turkeys, and a hive of honey bees. Gene called his homestead, "My food for wildlife project." Max and Ni¥a Creasy Seven hundred feet of two inch diameter PVC pipe sources a Harris hydro turbine with two input nozzles. Static pressure at the turbine is about 80 psi from a vertical head of 175 feet. It produces five to eight Amperes depending on the availability of water. Max and Ni¥a use 100 feet of #2 USE aluminium cable to feed the hydro power to the batteries. Max and Ni¥a's system uses two Trojan L-16 lead-acid batteries for 350 Ampere-hours of storage at 12 VDC. All usage is 12 Volts directly from the battery. Max and Ni¥a don't use an inverter. The system uses no voltage regulation and overcharging the batteries has been a problem. Power production is 97 Watts or 2,328 Watt-hours daily. The major appliances used in this system are halogen 12 VDC incandescent lighting, television, tape deck and amplifier. This system has been operation for the last six years. Ni¥a reports two year intervals between bearing and brush replacement in their alternator. Max works with the US Forest Service and Ni¥a runs a cottage industry making and selling the finest chocolate truffles I have ever eaten. Jody and Liz Pullen Jody and Liz's hydro system uses 1,200 feet of 2 inch diameter PVC pipe to bring the water to the turbine. Jody wasn't sure of the exact head in the system and without a pressure gauge it was impossible to estimate. The system works, producing more power than Jody and Liz need, so they have never investigated the details. The turbine is a Harris 12 volt unit that produces between six and ten Amperes. Jody normally sets the Harris current output at six to ten Amps so as not to overcharge his batteries. An average output figure for this system is about 120 Watts or 2,800 Watt-hours daily. The power is carried from the hydro turbine via 480 feet of 00 aluminium USE cable to the batteries. The batteries are located in an insulated box on the back porch. The pack is made up of four Trojan T220 lead-acid, golf cart batteries. The pack is wired for 440 Ampere-hours at 12 VDC. This system uses no voltage regulation and Jody has to be careful not to overcharge the batteries. Jody uses all power from the system via his Heart 1000 inverter. He also uses a gasoline fueled generator 4,000 watt for power tools (skil saw & table saw) and the washing machine. These tools require 120 vac and more power than the 1000 watt inverter can deliver. Jody and Liz have used this hydro system for their power for the last nine years. They report the same biannual alternator rebuild period. Jody runs a fishing and rafting guide business on the Klamath River called Klamath River Outfitters, 2033 Ti Bar Road, Somes Bar, CA 95568 ù 916-469- 3349. Liz is just about finished her schooling and will soon be a Registered Nurse. What the Kennedy Creek Hydros have discovered Hydroelectric systems are more efficient the larger they get. Consider that the smaller systems have the higher power costs. The largest system, Gene Strouss's, operates at an incredibly low cost of 3› per kilowatt-hour. And that's the cost computed to date. Gene fully expects his hydro system to continue producing electricity for years to come. The level of user involvement in these systems is low after their initial installation. While digging the trenches and installing the pipe takes both time and money, after it's done it is truly done. Only regular maintenance reported was bearing and brush replacement and trash rack cleaning. The battery based DC hydros all showed signs of battery overcharging. Voltage regulation is the key to battery longevity in low voltage hydro systems. A parting shot As Bob-O and I were driving down Ti Bar Road on our way home, we passed the Ti Bar Ranger Station run by the US Forest Service. They were running a noisy 15 kw. diesel generator to provide power for the ranger station. Which is strange because they are at the very bottom of the hill with over two thousand feet of running water above them. And they have five neighbors above them who all use the hydro power offered by the local creek. The practical and effective use of renewable energy is not a matter of technology. It is not a matter of time. It is not a matter of money. Using renewable energy is just doing it. Just like the folks on Kennedy Creek do. Access Author: Richard Perez, POB 130, Hornbrook, CA 96044 ù 916-475-3179. Hydro Systems: Person's Name, Ti Bar Road, Somes Bar, CA 95568. DC Hydroelectric turbines mentioned: Harris Hydroelectric, 632 Swanton Road, Davenport, CA 95017 ù 408-425-7652.