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Old 12-12-2009, 06:36 PM   #4 (permalink)
alohaspirit
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Piwoslaw View Post
Unless you live in a place where it rains often, then this may not be cost-effective. The output would not be kilowatts, but only a few watts. How often does it pour, and for how long (answer may vary denpending on where you live)? Most rain is not more than a drizzle for hours at a time, and there is not much energy in a gutter that is just dripping, probably not enough to overcome internal friction. Collecting water on the roof until there is a certain amount and then letting it rush down onto the turbine may be better, but holding a ton of water on the roof isn't a good idea.

thats kinda what i was thinking about

collecting water in tank/drums and once the level is high enough,
releasing a valve to push the water towards the turbine

it may only be for x amount of time, but its power

might be good when theres a flood and the power goes out

why dont water towers use these?




and it rains a lot in hawaii

The average annual rainfall over the entire state
is equivalent to 8,000 billion gallons of water
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