Preserving a Piece of Hydroelectric History
This Pelton wheel has been generating electricity since 1939. The property's second owner took over around 1990 and kept the historic hydro plant operating, but like many older systems, it had no effective speed regulation and the resulting power quality reflected that.
Remarkably, portions of the original penstock remain in service today.
Rather than replace the historic system, the current owner wanted to preserve it while improving its efficiency, reliability and ability to make better use of the available water resource.
Bringing 1939 Hydro Into the Modern Era
Kingsley Power completely redesigned the electrical side of the hydro plant around a DC-coupled architecture.
The new system combines dual Victron Quattro inverter/chargers, a modern Italian-built Sincro DC alternator, lithium battery storage and custom Node-RED controls.
Together, these components allow hydro generation, battery charging, electrical demand and excess energy to be actively managed instead of requiring generation to continuously follow the property's instantaneous electrical load.
System highlights
Historic Pelton Turbine: The original hydroelectric concept remains at the heart of the system, preserving a generating system that has operated for more than eight decades.
Sincro DC Alternator: Replacing the previous generator with a modern DC alternator increased output from approximately 5.5 kW to nearly 7 kW.
Dual Victron Quattros: The inverter/chargers convert stored DC energy into clean, stable 120/240 V AC power while providing substantial surge capacity for demanding loads.
Lithium Battery Storage: The battery bank absorbs excess hydro generation and supplies additional energy as demand changes, separating instantaneous electrical consumption from turbine output.
Node-RED Automation: Custom control logic manages hydro generation, battery charging and staged dump loads automatically.
Remote Monitoring: System performance can be monitored remotely, providing visibility into generation, battery conditions and overall system operation.
More Power From the Existing Hydro Resource
One of the most significant improvements came from replacing the old generating equipment with the modern Sincro DC alternator.
The original system produced approximately 5.5 kW. The upgraded system now approaches 7 kW, with approximately 8 kW expected following future improvements to the penstock.
That represents substantially more usable electrical power while retaining the property's historic Pelton-based hydro system.
Using Less Water During the Summer
A smaller Pelton nozzle was installed for summer operation. Fully opened, it can produce approximately 3.1 kW, but the DC-coupled architecture means there is little reason to generate that much electricity when the property doesn't need it.
Instead, water flow can be adjusted to match actual energy requirements.
The turbine currently operates at approximately 1.8 kW, closely matching the property's average consumption.
Less Water. Less Waste. Same Reliable Power.
Reducing turbine output means less water needs to be diverted from the creek during lower-flow summer conditions, leaving more natural flow downstream.
When generation temporarily exceeds consumption, the lithium batteries store the surplus. When demand rises above hydro output, the batteries provide the difference.
The result is significantly less dependence on dump loads and much more effective use of both the available water and generated electricity.
Historic Hydro. Modern Power.
The finished system now provides clean, utility-quality 120/240 V power, strong surge capacity, lithium battery backup, remote monitoring and intelligent automation while retaining the character of a hydroelectric installation that has been operating since 1939.
It demonstrates the type of project Kingsley Power specializes in: understanding an unusual existing system, identifying its limitations, and integrating modern power electronics and controls without unnecessarily replacing what already works.
Have an Existing Micro-Hydro System?
Whether you're modernizing an older hydro plant or designing a new system, Kingsley Power can help with the electrical architecture, generation, battery storage, Victron integration, controls and energy management.
