| | |  | Sustainable Housing | Home » » Microhydro: Clean Power from Water | | | | | | | Description: | | Hydroelectricity is the world’s largest—and cleanest—source of renewable -energy. But despite lively interest in renewables generally, there is an information vacuum about the smallest version of the technology dubbed "the simplest, most reliable and least expensive way to generate power off grid." Highly illustrated and practical, Microhydro is the first complete book on the topic in a decade. Covering both AC and DC systems, it covers principles, design and site considerations, equipment options, and legal, environmental, and economic factors. Scott Davis has decades of experience operating, installing, designing, selling, and teaching about microhydro technology. An award-winner in the field, he currently works as a system designer and retailer with an alternative energy company for whom he has authored an on-line microhydro course.
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Scott Davis | | Paperback:
| 176 pages | | Publisher:
| New Society Publishers | | Publication Date:
| July 01, 2003 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0865714843 | | Product Length:
| 9.12 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.52 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.44 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.8 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.9 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.65 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 8 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 8 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 36 found the following review helpful:
 microhydro - Clean Power from WaterJan 26, 2008
By Sam C.
Not the best book I've read about Microhydro. I read one published in the 70's and it did a much better job explaining how electricity works and the problems associated with making power from water. Through out microhydro he make references to other parts of the book, it was kind of like teasers when you are watching bad tv, "in just a moment we'll find out what's in Al Capone's secret vault". It was like he didn't have enough to say so he kept stretching it out and repeating things he already said. He also kept talking about the case studies at the end of the book. They were not too informative. All and all I just wanted to let people know I was disappointed. This was supposed to be The Book on microhydro and it just didn't measure up . I more recently read a catch all book for wind, water and solar energy and it did a great job. I would recommend "[[ASIN: Power with Nature Second Edition: Alternative Energy Solutions for Homeowners Updated]]"
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
DisappointedJan 06, 2009
By Marcus
This really is not the best book on microhydro. An earlier review by Sam C. sums it up nicely. Thoughout the book, the author keeps referring to the case studies, but they're at the back of the book. So do you read the end of the book first? He stretches out simple or obvious points and keeps repeating how microhydro gives more bang-for-the-buck than solar. Some sections were not helpful at all: i.e. I wanted concrete examples of how to control debris. His statement on that is: "See what other people in your neighborhood do to solve this problem." (p.87) Or what about hydroscreens, or other examples of intakes? Nothing... This book was somewhat basic and I was looking for something a little more technical. I'm disappointed. I learned more in the <25 pages on this topic in "The Renewable Energy Handbook" (by Kemp) than this whole book.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Showcase of Microhydro instalationsAug 21, 2008
By Marcelo Cabello
This book is a colection of small to tiny hidropower instalations mainly in Canada and gives general details about how the power is generated for isolated houses or cabins.
Does not give you ways to learn how to solve your specific situation, simply is a description of different solutions that can be of general model if you have a similar situation on hand.
If you are looking on how to build a microhydro there are other books that are more suited to the task, if you just want to learn how people have solved their energy problem with hydro generation then you will find it useful.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Pretty good, too steep for newbies, too general for implementers.May 03, 2010
By J. J. Marino
"Geekasaurus Rex"
I have a passing interest in small scale microhydro.I was an electrician and electronics tech in a previous life.
Where this book goes wrong is probably its strong point at the same time. It is written for those that have some training in electronics and electrical engineering. An average Joe would probably not get all of the references in this book, which is ok. Electricity, especially that which could be generated by one of these plants can be fatal. Mucking around with that is just dangerous. I think as a person that has training in this field, this book is still a bit inadequate. Because it attempts to straddle the line of easy to understand and at the same time be technical to the folks that need it, it never quite sits well with the general reader.
Overall its still a pretty good book on the subject, probably not a primer but not useless either.
Thanks for reading my review.
17 of 24 found the following review helpful:
 Amazing bookMar 08, 2006
By Charlie H.
Scott Davis does a wonderful job at explaining every aspect of microhydro. I highly recommend this for teaching or personal use if you are interested in building your own system.
See all 8 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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