Portland—Oregon’s largest city—in partnership with a company called ‘Lucid Energy’ now generates clean electricity from the water already flowing under its streets and through its pipes. The idea is absolutely brilliant!
Portland has replaced a section of its existing water supply network with ‘Lucid Energy’ pipes containing four 42-inch turbines. As water flows through the pipes, the turbines spin and power attached generators feed energy back into the city’s electrical grid.
The Conduit 3 Hydroelectric Project, Portland’s new clean energy source, has been running in full capacity since March, 2016. Reportedly, this will be the United States’ first project to secure a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for renewable energy produced by in-pipe hydropower in a municipal water pipeline.
Watch the video to understand how it works:
In order to be cost and energy effective, Portland’s new power generators will be installed in pipes where water flows downhill—because if water was to be pumped, the energy necessary to pump the water would negate the subsequent energy produced.
Image courtesy: lucid energy.com
The fully operational project is expected to generate $2,000,000 worth of renewable energy over 20 years. On an average of 1,100 megawatt hours of energy per year, the project will produce enough electricity to power nearly 150 homes.
Let’s hope that similar projects are adapted in India soon!
