Voith also reports that its new StreamDiver compact turbine has been running in trouble-free test operation for a year. 

"The investment is a commitment by Voith towards the potential of small Hydro," said Josef Lampl, managing director of Kössler. "We are creating better working conditions for our employees and more space for manufacturing our products and, in doing so, upgrade the entire plant with its existing buildings." The completion of the building project is scheduled for the end of 2014. Following the upgrade, the expanded production facilities will have a capacity of about 70 turbines per year – so far the annual output has been 40 turbines.

The StreamDiver is a compact turbine-generator unit for small hydro applications with a simple and eco-friendly design. It is able to harness the power of water in places where this had been impossible in the past for economic reasons or due to nature conservation laws. It can also be installed in existing weirs, making them suitable for power generation with any inherent interference with the environment being reduced to a minimum.