Micro-Hydro
Whether you have a cascading, mountainous stream or a wide, meandering river: Micro- Hydro can supply a surprising amount of energy for your home or outbuilding. The beauty of rivers is that while seasonal flow indeed fluctuates, they run 24/7, 365.
Ideally you want to use only a responsible portion of your waterway, anywhere from 1/3 - 1/2: this ensures you do not disrupt the sources ecosystem downstream.
Then you merely pipe it downhill to increase the pressure, a section known as the penstock.
Piped into a turbine, electricity is then generated and the water can return to water source.
Click below if you'd like to schedule a Micro_hydro survey
Wind
Wind is a great resource for Ohio and large commercial installations are already doing great , with at least 54 megawatts performing nicely. 54 megawatts is 54 million watts, enough to power around 40-50,000 homes. These are obvious the massive, megawatt turbines too big for a home or business but they come in all sizes to fit even single residence needs. Sure sounds like a great idea to me!
Unfortunately in Ohio, the GOP passed a law stating that a turbine has to be 1,250 ft from the nearest property line, EVEN IF the neighboring property is only growing crops. I know my corn on the cob HATES renewable energy, it's always going on about that before I eat it. If you're excited about wind in Ohio please write your representative and help get the law changed.
Click below if you want to schedule a wind assessment in Ohio: fyi, it redirects to the article.