Home-Based Hydroelectric Generator

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Electricity is an important part of our daily life. It has become the foundation of development happening in our surroundings. To produce electricity, humans tap energy from fossil fuels, wind, and water. Although effective, some sources are non-renewable, and most of them are almost depleted. In light of this problem, the researchers proposed a generator that runs on the stored potential energy of water. This will run the turbines that shall produce mechanical energy that will be then transformed into electrical energy by the dynamo, through electromagnetic induction.

METHODS

Two circles were cut from bottle caps. These were cut in half and glued onto one end of a GI wire. This becomes the turbine. Two water pipes were fitted into the tee fitting. Then, the turbine was placed into the said fitting. In another bottle cap, a hole was created in the middle and put through the turbine. The bottle cap was glued to the fitting. Lastly, other end of the turbine soldered to the dynamo. The durability of the product was tested by applying pressure on it with increasing amounts. On the other hand, a voltmeter was used to measure the amount of voltage produced. Lastly,the efficiency was computed by a given formula. These data were presented in tabular form and subjected to statistical analysis.

RESULTS

After the tests were conducted, the researchers found that the maximum pressure that the home-based hydroelectric generator can hold is 4.9 kPa. At this rate, the generator can withstand water pressure from the top of a two-storey house. For the value of the voltage that the said generator can produce, the amount averaged 4.8 V. At this value, the generator can be used in charging a phone. On the other hand, its cost is more economical than commercialized ones. Lastly, the generator's efficiency resulted to a mean of 71.7%. This means that 28.3% of the work input was wasted during the energy transformation process.

DISCUSSIONS

Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that the cost of the home-based hydroelectric generator is significantly lower than those of commercialized ones. This is due to the use of scrap materials in making the generator. However, the durability, efficiency, and the amount of voltage produced by the product were not comparable to that of a commercialized hydroelectric generator. It is recommended to use a stronger adhesive and better installment of the generator.