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Show Hydro-Electric on Farms Fills Needs Serves as Substitute Central Power Service Despite the progress made by power suppliers in "electrifying rural ru-ral America," the task is so vast that thousands of farms will not be reached by electric lines for several years. A number of these farms are located far from existing or contemplated distribution lines. Farmers need not have to delay or do without electricity and the convenience, con-venience, time and labor-saving appliances ap-pliances and production equipment it operates if they have, available a stream which will provide a head of water in sufficient volume to operate a hydro-electric unit. In most cases, a small dam is required and a pond, thus formed for power purposes, also may be used for watering stock, fire protection or recreation. Such units are capable of producing direct di-rect or alternating electric current at low cost and make use of wa-ter wa-ter which might otherwise be wasted. jfH i 1 K.W. unit on a ranch In Montana., The electrical capacity of units, such as that illustrated, varies from' to 10 kilowatts. For example: ' A typical unit will generate one kilowatt, kilo-watt, with an eight-foot head of wa-' ter, having a flow of 190 cubic feet of water per minute. As the head of water increases, the volume re-, quired decreases for the operation of a generator of given capacity.' Thus, with a head of 25 feet, a hydroelectric hydro-electric unit will generate one kilo-, watt with a volume flow of only 68 cubic feet of water per minute. An: eight-foot head is all that is needed for those generating from one-half to five kilowatts. |