Energy Systems & Design

PO BOX 4557, Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada | Energy

About us

In the 1970’s Paul Cunningham, owner and operator of ES&D, had a need to power his off-grid house. He set off on a mission to create an efficient and reliable micro hydro machine. Utilizing a car alternator type micro hydro machine and the wheels he cast himself, he created the first machine. Through many hard-working days and design changes he was able to produce very efficient pelton and turgo wheels and sold these wheels to other enthusiasts.

After years of consistently improving the design he was able to create a highly efficient machine that was producing increased levels of power. It had become obvious that anyone with a suitable water source could be producing their very own renewable energy. With this idea in mind Paul established Energy Systems & Design in 1980.

35 years later Energy Systems & Design is one of the top producers of quality micro hydro energy machines. ES&D prides itself on using only the best components and building the machines in-house in order to maintain the highest levels of quality. With machines all over the world, ES&D has achieved international recognition for being a leading manufacturer of efficient and reliable micro hydro machines.

HOW IT WORKS

Our machines are designed to make use of a natural source of running water. Water from the stream is channelled into a pipeline to gain enough head (vertical drop the water falls) to power the system. The water passes through a nozzle, where it accelerates, strikes the turbine wheel and turns the generator shaft. The amount of power produced will depend on the head and flow from the water source

There are two basic models which fit two different needs. The stream engine is designed to take advantage of sites with higher head while the LH1000 is designed for sites with low head and high flow. Both models are designed for battery-based power systems, with electricity generated at a steady rate and stored in batteries for later use. When AC power is desired an inverter is used to convert the stored energy. In grid tie applications, the machines are usually used to generate high voltage DC that is compatible with grid tie inverters.

The design to the right shows the basic set-up for a stream engine machine. Water is channelled into a pipeline and then sent downstream through the piping where it passes through the turbine and then returns back to the source of water. The stream engine can operate at heads of about 3 metres (10 feet) and upward.

The general formula for watts of output is head (in feet) times flow (gallons/minute) divided by 10. In metric, head (in metres) times flow (litres/second) times 5. Our machines tend to outperform this calculation but this will provide a good starting point.

Company Details
Company NameEnergy Systems & Design
Business CategoryEnergy
AddressPO BOX 4557
Sussex
New Brunswick
Canada
PresidentNA
Year Established1970
EmployeesNA
MembershipsNA
Hours of OperationNA

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