

Rainwater used to generate electricity - Jupe
http://www.gizmag.com/pluvia-rainwater-microturbine/31379/

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blackle
I'll just put this here [http://what-if.xkcd.com/23/](http://what-
if.xkcd.com/23/)

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gus_massa
I agree. It's interesting to see a back of the envelope calculation to prove
that the idea is not applicable.

Another interesting calculation would be how this method compares to other
electricity generation devices for isolated places, for example solar panels
or wind turbines.

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maxerickson
The What If link addresses the overall utility of using such a short drop for
generating electricity -- the interesting part of the calculation is that over
a year you get a trivial amount of power per unit of surface, ~8 kw-h off of
140 square meters. Compare to solar which generates several hundred kw-h over
a year for each square meter.

A small wind turbine should also easily beat the 8 kw-h (it only has to
average 1 watt of output).

Those systems will cost more than some little gadget that gets stuck under a
downspout, but they provide a great deal more return.

