Taking advantage of the flow of a stream near his home, Vietnamese content creator (and apparently an engineer too) Chien-Tran has built a small run-of-the-river hydroelectric power plant that, he demonstrates, generates electricity at 220 volts. The feat is documented in detail on his Mini Construction YouTube channel, where he also shares other construction projects.
A scale replica of a commercial facility. This micro hydroelectric plant, capable of powering smaller devices, reproduces the operating principle of a conventional hydroelectric plant on a smaller scale, such as those that power entire cities today.
To build it, Chien-Tran studied land near a stream not far from his home and followed a multi-step artisanal engineering process, using bricks and pipes, as well as a turbine and a generator.
This is how he built his hydroelectric power station. This Vietnamese engineer began by building a basic infrastructure, including several strong brick walls to contain and divert the water that would serve the facility. Next, he laid the pipes that would carry the water in a vertical drop, taking great care in calculating the available gradient and water flow to make the most of the liquid’s potential energy. Once it is moving and the water is moving, its power spins a turbine that is connected to a generator that converts the movement into electricity.
But the installation does not end there: after activating this mechanism, according to the creator, the water returns to its natural channel without any changes.
Reduce dependence on the electrical grid. According to some publications like Clarin, Chien-Tran aims to reduce dependence on the electrical grid and have alternative sources of electricity in case of potential blackouts. In YouTube videos, it’s possible to see how the invention allows Chien-Tran to run a fan or light a light bulb, among other electronic devices.
And, according to the same media, some small power plants can reach 100 kW (although this figure is not consistent with the Chien-Tran project) and, depending on their power and electrical needs, supply energy to several houses, with a maximum estimated production of 13,200 kilowatt-hours per year (kW to about 6 hours per kW). However, Clarin also cautioned that other media that also reported the news, such as El Espaol, indicated that these figures would be estimates and that there are no verified measurements proving this effectiveness.
The potential of microhydraulics. Although the Chien-Tran installation is more artisanal than commercial, it is a perfect example showing the potential of microhydraulic power for self-consumption. Unlike solar or wind power, which depends on hours of sunlight or wind intensity, these installations can generate electricity continuously, as long as there is sufficient water flow and sufficient gradient. This makes them an attractive option for isolated homes or rural areas where access to the electrical grid is limited.
Micro hydropower plants in Spain. Such facilities are not uncommon in our country. According to the Applied Solar Energy website, there are more than 1,200 mini-power plants, typically of greater scale and technical complexity than the Chien-Tran construction. They are distributed throughout the Spanish territory, especially in Galicia, Asturias, Castilla y León and some areas of the Pyrenees.
Also in the community of Madrid, where a small hydroelectric plant in the Valmayor reservoir in the northwest of the region helps the local water supply company reduce and avoid dependence on fossil fuels, according to data published by the European Commission, the estimated emissions of 627 tons of CO₂ per year.
Picture | YouTube
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