새 파트너십 하에 포틀랜드 수도청(PWB)이 시의 주요 상수 파이프라인 중 하나를 재생가능 에너지의 중요 발전기로 변경했다. 이 발전기는 재생가능 전력개발 및 오리건 주의 자원 다양성을 촉진하는 데 도움이 될 것으로 기대된다.

PWB는 LucidPipe™ 전력 시스템을 실행하기 위해 재생가능 에너지 시스템 공급업체인 Lucid Energy와 협력했다. 이 기술은 PWB 파이프라인 안에 흐르는 물의 중력 피드 흐름(gravity-fed flow)을 사용하는 기술이다.

 

 

 

Under a new partnership, the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) has transformed one of the city's major water pipelines into a prominent generator of renewable energy, helping to promote renewable power development and resource diversity for the state of Oregon.

 

The PWB collaborated with Lucid Energy, a provider of renewable energy systems for in-pipe hydropower and smart water infrastructure, to implement its LucidPipe™ Power System. The technology uses the gravity-fed flow of water inside PWB's pipeline to spin four 42-inch turbines, producing electricity for Portland General Electric (PGE) customers under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the utility.

 

The system, which was installed at no cost to PWB or the City of Portland, is the first project in the U.S. to secure a 20-year PPA for renewable energy produced by in-pipe hydropower in a municipal water pipeline. It will begin full energy production within the next two months and has been tested and certified by NSF International to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 for use in potable water systems.

 

The LucidPipe system was fully financed in October 2014 with capital from Harbourton Alternative Energy, a subsidiary of Harbourton Enterprises. The project will generate approximately $2 million worth of renewable energy capacity over the 20-year PPA period -- enough electricity for more than 150 homes in Portland. PWB and Harbourton will share in the revenue, and the Bureau will have the right to own the system and all its produced energy after the 20 years.

 

"The Water Bureau welcomed the opportunity to explore the innovative use of a Portland pipe delivering water to create hydroelectric power," said David Shaff, PWB administrator. "Water and energy are closely linked. The Lucid pipe system provides a way for the Water Bureau to contribute to generating electricity for our community in a clean, low-cost and renewable way."

 

[출처 = Water World / 2015년 1월 20일]