Source
https://awaruasynergy.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/EECA-A-Guide-to-Micro-Generation.pdf — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
EECA — Power from the people: a guide to micro-generation (small wind, micro-hydro, PV cost & performance)
Indicative consumer guide — wide ranges, undated EECA energywise edition
An EECA energywise household/community micro-generation guide. Cost figures are indicative ranges for pre-feasibility, not commercial quotes; capacity factors are typical NZ rules-of-thumb. data_quality: medium. It is, however, the authoritative NZ public benchmark for small-wind and micro-hydro cost & capacity factor — the two gaps that blocked the engine’s wind/hydro options.
Summary
EECA’s consumer/community guide to micro-generation, covering photovoltaics, small wind turbines and micro-hydro for NZ stand-alone (SAPS) and grid-connected systems. It supplies the NZ-specific cost benchmarks and capacity factors the Neobiome Intelligence engine needs for its small_wind and micro_hydro technologies, plus the micro-hydro power formula and feasibility thresholds. Resolves RT_122 (small-wind cost), RT_124 (micro-hydro cost), RT_125 (micro-hydro CF + sizing).
Key claims
- claim: "NZ small wind turbines cost $3,000–8,000 per kW of rated power for the turbine alone; the indicative full INSTALLED system cost for a 1–3 kW grid-connected turbine is $14,500–44,750 (= $7–22 per Wp installed, incl GST), and for an off-grid battery-backed system capable of 5–14 kWh/day $27,500–76,750 (= $14–38 per Wp). (EECA micro-generation guide, Tables 9–10)"
- claim: "Small wind turbines in New Zealand typically achieve a capacity factor of 10–30% (≈10% at low-wind sites, ≈30% at windy sites) — micro/mini turbines rarely reach rated output. (Table 9)"
- claim: "Micro-hydro installed cost is approximately $8,000–30,000 for a 1 kW system, varying substantially with terrain (penstock length, earthworks, consents). (p42)"
- claim: "Micro-hydro capacity factor is typically ~50% (usually greater than 50%, much higher than wind or PV); potential power P(kW) = Q × H × 9.8 × η where Q = flow (m³/s), H = gross head (m), η = system efficiency 0.5–0.7. A minimum head of ~10 m is recommended (lower heads to ~5 m can work with a suitable turbine), and resource consent typically limits diversion to ≤50% of stream flow. (p38–42)"
- claim: "Hydro is usually the lowest-cost micro-generation option where a suitable year-round stream exists; most micro-hydro generators output from <100 W to ~5 kW. (p38)"Neobiome Intelligence relevance
Fills the engine’s two blank generation-cost cells and sources the hydro capacity factor:
small_windcost ≈ **7,000–22,000/kW installed** (grid-connected, 1–3 kW; community scale trends toward the lower end). For comparison, PV is ~2,500/kWp — small wind at ~$12k/kW shows why it rarely pencils out except at genuinely windy off-grid sites; a useful and honest model signal.micro_hydrocost ≈ $8,000–30,000/kW installed (terrain-dependent).- micro-hydro CF = 0.50 — SOURCES the engine’s
@hydro_cfplaceholder (was assumed 0.50). Note: consistent year-round streams can exceed 50%. - Confirms the engine’s hydro feasibility rule (head/flow thresholds) and the P = Q·H·g·η sizing the
tech_flowsmicro-hydro coefficient stands in for.
Resolves RT_122, RT_124, RT_125.
Research targets
Resolves RT_122 (NZ small-wind installed cost), RT_124 (NZ micro-hydro installed cost) and RT_125 (NZ micro-hydro CF + sizing methodology). Note the guide’s micro-hydro CF (~50%) is lower than RT_125’s assumed 75–90% — the guide’s figure is the conservative NZ rule-of-thumb; high-reliability year-round streams sit higher.
Connections
Referenced by
Sources (3): CR_029 · LIT_067 · OT_075
Technologies (2): Micro-hydro (run-of-river, community-scale) · community-scale)
EDT domains (1): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems