LucidEnergy installed electricity-generating turbines in Portland, Oregon’s gravity-fed water pipes under the streets beginning in 2018. The drinking water is fed into the city by gravity via a drop in elevation from the mountains above. The water velocity and pressure produces electricity in a generator that is put onto the grid without impacting water quality.
LucidEnergy has entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Portland for renewable energy produced by the in-pipe hydropower from the city’s drinking water system. It is expected to generate $2 million worth of renewable energy based on an average 1,100 megawatt hours of energy annually. CityLab, FastCompany, Good