In Portland, Oregon, a new system is catching energy from water as it flows through the city’s pipes. It’s hydroelectric energy without the environmental impact of a hydroelectric dam. Small turbines spin in the pipes and send the energy to generator.
It’s made by Lucid Energy. The CEO, Gregg Semler is very excited about the development. He says, “It’s pretty rare to find a new source of energy where there’s no environmental impact. But this is inside a pipe, so no fish or endangered species are impacted. That’s what’s exciting.
Water utilities use massive amounts of energy, so they can use this power to power their system, or they could always just sell it back to the grid. In Portland, it is now being used in one of the city’s major pipelines.
Despite the new idea, this method cannot produce enough energy for the whole city. It can, however, power individual buildings. It can produce energy at any time of day, since there is always water flowing through the pipes. The system also only works in places where the water flows downward.
The new pipes also have sensors installed in them to monitor water rates; check if pipes have burst, and make sure the water is still safe to drink.
Lucid Energy hopes that cities, when their old pipes have worn out, will install these new pipes. They hope that they can also expand to the developing world, as it is a simple way to produce energy for countries that don’t have an energy system yet. They hope that other people will realize how reliable and sustainable this system could be with more development.
It’s made by Lucid Energy. The CEO, Gregg Semler is very excited about the development. He says, “It’s pretty rare to find a new source of energy where there’s no environmental impact. But this is inside a pipe, so no fish or endangered species are impacted. That’s what’s exciting.
Water utilities use massive amounts of energy, so they can use this power to power their system, or they could always just sell it back to the grid. In Portland, it is now being used in one of the city’s major pipelines.
Despite the new idea, this method cannot produce enough energy for the whole city. It can, however, power individual buildings. It can produce energy at any time of day, since there is always water flowing through the pipes. The system also only works in places where the water flows downward.
The new pipes also have sensors installed in them to monitor water rates; check if pipes have burst, and make sure the water is still safe to drink.
Lucid Energy hopes that cities, when their old pipes have worn out, will install these new pipes. They hope that they can also expand to the developing world, as it is a simple way to produce energy for countries that don’t have an energy system yet. They hope that other people will realize how reliable and sustainable this system could be with more development.