Tag hydro power

Backpackers will love this easy way recharge a GPS. Daniel Hull, an Australian industrial designer based in Melbourne, has designed a portable hydro turbine with the aim of providing cheap renewable energy using water.

The Bourne Energy BBP-2 weighs 25 lbs, fits in a backpack, is entirely self-contained, and outputs up to 600W of energy from river current with no heat or emissions. They can be daisy-chained in large arrays as can the BBP-1…

While still a prototype, it’ll work it shallow water and a variety of flow speeds. Looks great for micro power. More from developer Hydro Electric Barrel Generator and Treehugger.

Only 3% of US dams produce power. American Municipal Power in Ohio thinks that’s a waste and will retrofit five dams to produce 350 MW, a simple, great idea that in retrospect seems so obvious you wonder wht it wasn’t…