💦 Micro-hydro

Exploring · part of Energy

⚙ Runs on the Energy engine — meters output, :5940.

Run-of-creek power from the 4 km drop — potentially the steady baseload the whole commons runs on. Let's explore it properly.

Why this might be the one

The Kootenays are hydro country for a reason: steep ground and reliable creeks. Unlike solar, a run-of-creek micro-hydro system runs 24 hours a day and is strongest in the wet and melt seasons when solar is weakest. If the numbers work, this isn't a supplement — it could be the baseload the entire commons runs on, with solar and wood filling the gaps.

The two numbers that decide everything

Micro-hydro output comes down to head (the vertical drop) × flow (how much water) × efficiency. Roughly:

power (kW) ≈ head (m) × flow (L/s) × 9.81 × ~0.5 (real-world efficiency) ÷ 1000

So a modest creek with good vertical drop can do real work. But we don't have measured head and flow yet — and we will not pretend a number. The next step is literally walking the creek with a level and a flow meter across the seasons. A run-of-creek design (a small intake, a buried penstock, a turbine, water straight back to the creek) is low-impact and fits the conservation ethic — no dam, no reservoir.

The licence question that gates it

Here's the catch that ties micro-hydro to water: a BC water licence is purpose-specific. A domestic licence does not authorize power generation — that needs a power-purpose licence (and, above thresholds, more process). Since run-of-creek returns the water to the creek a short distance downstream, it's often licensable — but it is a distinct authorization we have to secure. This is question #1 for the seller and the province.

Turbine by head

• High head, low flow (a steep side-gully) → a Pelton or Turgo wheel.
• Low head, higher flow (the main creek on a gentler grade) → a crossflow turbine.

Which one depends entirely on the survey. That's the work: measure first, spec second.

What you'll be able to do here

Contribute creek observations, join the micro-hydro working group, and — once we have a survey — see the modelled output and how much of the commons it could carry. If you've built run-of-creek before, we want you on this.

Connected systems

• ☀️ Solar — The summer workhorse — and an honest reckoning with mountain shading, winter sun angles, and snow.
• 💧 Water — The binding constraint — and the first thing we design. One creek decides how many of us the land can hold.
• ⚡ Energy — Off-grid power from the things this land already has: falling water, summer sun, and wood. Metered on the Energy engine.

Claim a founding share →   ← All systems