microhydro
n.— «Instead of using a dam to create energy, microhydro uses piping to divert water from a pond or stream. The water is brought to a vertical drop, or head, and falls onto the microhydro system, spinning a turbine, which in turn creates energy that is stored in a battery. The amount of energy created depends on the flow, or gallons per minute, flowing through the stream and the vertical drop. The water then continues back into its original flow.» —“Water district looking at microhydropower” by Michael Dabrieo Bangor Daily News (Maine) July 28, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A retronym is a word coined to distinguish something new from an older, more generic version, such as electric guitar or clock radio. A couple of new retronyms are fine water, or “unprocessed water that reflects a region’s terroir” and water...
Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won’t find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers in the book Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape. The book is an intriguing collection...