Oregon to Install First In-pipe Hydroelectric System

The Portland Water Bureau, the city of Portland, Ore., and Lucid Energy, a provider of renewable energy systems and pioneer in the development of in-pipe hydropower, announced that Lucid Energy and the Portland Water Bureau have agreed to terms and are set to begin the permitting process for construction of the city’s first in-pipe hydroelectric system. The LucidPipe Power System, which will be installed in a section of large-diameter, gravity-fed water pipeline beneath the city, uses an in-conduit turbine that spins as water passes through it, producing clean, reliable, low-cost electricity with no impact on the environment or water delivery. The project will be the first LucidPipe system in Portland and will help the city meet its Climate Action Plan goals to facilitate the installation of at least 10 MW of on-site renewable energy.

In October 2011 Lucid Energy signed an MOU with the Portland Water Bureau, the Portland Development Commission and the city of Portland to partner on the development of an urban hydroelectric system within the city. The first LucidPipe Power System installation is slated for completion in June 2013 and, once completed, will produce enough electricity to power an estimated 150 homes.

Lucid Energy’s in-pipe hydropower systems are targeted at large water users such as municipal water and wastewater systems, agriculture irrigation districts and water-intensive industries. The system is environmentally-friendly because it operates inside of pipelines, and, unlike many other renewable energy sources, the energy output from LucidPipe is consistent, predictable and not subject to weather conditions.

Portland’s in-pipe hydropower system will be the second major LucidPipe installation. Earlier this year Lucid Energy announced the installation of a LucidPipe Power System in Riverside, California and plans are also underway to install another system in San Antonio Water System in Texas in early 2013.

 

Source: Lucid Energy