How much current does the something need for 14 hours?

 

want to get as much electricity as I can. But I do like the idea of connecting a modified one wire alternator to a battery. Now, what about a load diverted for when my battery gets fully charged. I don't want to lose any electricity. Do you recommend anything?

Not really. Once the battery reaches its full charge the internal regulator in the alternator will keep it there.

Any other additional power drain will go to whatever you add to the system until that load exceeds what ever the alternator can provide.

The one wire low RPM alternator conversion kits I have seen are good for around 150 - 250 watts of power which is considerably lower than what the stock units are capable of producing but that's the tradeoff for getting power at a substantially lower than stock operating speed.

 

I need 250volts at most.

No comments on this?

I take everything, as written, I guess.

Watts?

 

250V DC or AC?

 

250V DC or AC?

I once disassembled a room size 60v+ battery system, for resale.
Scary, even for me!

I'm hoping this is a mis-statement.

 

This is what I need to power

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Philips-10...D-Horticulture-Light-Bulb-140640-0/204148551/

I have a small tool shed attached to my house that I would like to start growing my own produce in. There is a stream (a small stream) near that shed. The lights only need to be on for 14 hours max. So I would like to save the the electricity not being used during the 10 hours of off time.

 

I doubt seriously that You'll get 14kw of storage from a waterwheel and batteries / Inverter. You need Mains power for that.

 

Sunlight is best for growing. You shouldn't need to replace the entire day's light with lamps. Unless the plants are ones that require privacy from snooping and high utility bills. Even then, opaque panels on the roof of your shed will allow 80% or more of the sunlight into the area. Just use the lamps to extend natural light hours. 2 to 4 hours of light by battery would give you the extended photo period you seek. A generator running 24/7 charging a battery would be much more do-able then.

 

The maximum available power will be rho Q g h

rho=1000
g=9.81
Q is flow rate and
h is head
so the best you can do is ~10000*Q*h

Get a bucket and estimate the flow rate from your stream, for a water-wheel h will be at best the wheel diameter, so you can get some idea of the maximum power you can get. Your wheel and generator will not be 100% efficient, so expect 50 to 75% of that as a practical output.

 

For the power needed, maybe look at golf cart motors? They run at low RPM compared to an alternator and could produce 1kw easily if there is enough water to spin the wheel.

 

14 KWh/24Hr?

First: I would throw that lamp away.
LED replacements are widely available.

Result: You have reduced your need for power by about 95%.
Let's say 80% wich will give You a reasonable 3KWH/24Hr.

Far easier to accomplish

 

I've done a few projects similar yours, hydrogirl. A small stream probably won't have enough power to develop 1000 watts, even if you stored the the downtime electricity. But do try. Maybe using a smaller powered light. Btw, building a waterwheel isn't easy.