IREM Banki Hydroelectric Turbine, “Semi-OUT Door” installation

Caserio Errotaundi, located in the town of Lazkao, is an old mill with an important bread-making business.

In the plant the old stones that grind the grain are preserved. The entire mill is powered by a canal 400 meters away from the river.

Taking advantage of the existing infrastructures, this project was carried out for the sturt-up of a micro-station TBA (Banki Turbine equipped with asynchronous generator) sized for a head of 5 meters and with 12 kW power for the production of energy. This turbin is also able to satisfy the needs of the mill which is currently used as a dwelling.

The energy produced is consumed by the basic services of the residence and the surplus is transferred to the national distribution network.

At the output of the loading tank, previously used as a mill, the pipeline that feeds the turbine has been installed and the discharge is carried out in the existing channel. The entire installation was located in the mill itself and was integrated into its structures without modifying it in any way. In fact the turbine was positioned in a “semi-out door” structure: open on the sides and with a top cover made of a special transparent material designed to blend in with the landscape.

The particular sturdiness and reliability of Irem hydroelectric turbines allows installation even in sites where the working conditions are extreme or are exposed to atmospheric agents. Furthermore, the simplicity of installation lowers investment costs, making the implementation of small hydroelectric plants more sustainable.