Interactive Labs › Physics labs
PPhysicsS3 to S6Engineering · Electricity
Hydropower lab: electricity for a village from a stream
Many villages in Rwanda’s hills have streams that could make electricity. Measure a stream, design the pipe and turbine, and find out how many homes you can light.
LevelS3 to S6 (and IGCSE, A Level)
TimeAbout 40 min
You useFlow, power, efficiency, graphs
PriceFree: no account
🎯 Aim
To measure the flow of a stream and design a micro-hydropower plant, calculating its electrical power and the effect of pipe size and season.
You will learn to
- Measure the flow of a stream with the float method.
- Calculate hydro power with P = ρ g Q h η.
- Explain energy losses in the pipe and the turbine.
- Design for the dry season.
🧭 What to do
- Read the power for the starting design.
- Change the Flow of water Q and the Height of the fall (head) h: what happens to the power?
- Try each Pipe diameter and watch the height lost to friction.
- Choose the Dry season: how many homes still have light?
- Answer the questions with the class data (the float method).
- Write your conclusion and download your lab report.
📋 The data
Float-method measurements of a stream and the height available for a turbine.
🧠 Investigate: answer from the data
Type your answer and tap Check. Use 💡 Hint first; open the method only when you are stuck.
➕ Get more from this experiment
📝 Free
Print the worksheet (button above), download the data, and save your report. Teachers can project this page in class.
📦 Premium Lab Pack
1 000 RWF
- Field worksheet: measure the flow of a real stream
- Design calculations for a village plant
- Teacher guide and answer key
- Exam-style questions with marking scheme
👩🏫 For teachers
Use it as a practical when apparatus is missing, as homework, or as a project. Free lesson plans help you plan, teach and assess.
🔗 Related in the subjects