Small-scale DIY Hydroplants
With a growing DIY-community and an increasing interest in environmentally friendly "green energy", some hobbyists have endeavored to build their own hydroeletric plants from old water mills, or from kits or from scratch. Usually, the DIY-community uses decayed/abandoned water mills to mount a waterwheel and other electrical components. This approach has also been popularised in TV-series as It's Not Easy Being Green. These are usually smaller turbines of ~5 kW or less. Through the internet, the community is now able to obtain plans to construct DIY-water turbines. and there is a growing trend toward building them for domestic requirements. The DIY-hydroelectric plants are now being used both in developed countries and in developing countries, to power residences and small businesses.
Read more about this topic: Small Hydro