I served as the project leader for Dartmouth Humanitarian Engineering’s hydropower project. I managed a team that designed and installed pico-hydorelectic systems in rural Rwandan villages, and twice worked on-site in Rwanda. I oversaw all aspects of the operation including budgeting, communicating with partners, hydroelectric system design, system installation and assessment of socioeconomic impact.
This pelton turbine was designed, built and successfully installed at Nyragacigo, Rwanda by the Dartmouth Humanitarian Engineering hydroelectric team. I helped prepare the mold for sand casting the turbine buckets and machined the flanges, shaft and several of the buckets. While in Rwanda I helped assemble, install and test the system.
I was the lead engineer for the civil works at Nyragacigo and Kigogo, Rwanda. I designed the intakes, channels and spillways so that the appropriate flow rate would be delivered to the turbine without overflowing and causing erosion. I also oversaw the construction of these components. This image shows one of the spillways, which drained excess flow from the channel during the rainy season.
I designed and installed this small weir to intake sufficient flow to operate the turbine during the dry season and to overflow excess flow during the rainy season.
The turbine system charged batteries that were used by villagers to power lights, cell phones and radios. I did not design the electrical system but did help to source parts and construct the system.
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Hydroelectric Projects in Rwanda
I served as the project leader for Dartmouth Humanitarian Engineering’s hydropower project. I managed a team that designed and installed pico-hydorelectic systems in rural Rwandan villages, and twice worked on-site in Rwanda. I oversaw all aspects of the operation including budgeting, communicating with partners, hydroelectric system design, system installation and assessment of socioeconomic impact.
