The race to withdraw from dependence upon climate-altering fossil fuels has begun in Portland, Ore. Portland intends on generating electricity from turbines installed in its city water pipes.
Portland is one of the most environmentally conscious cities on the globe. Last year, it banned a neonicotinoid insecticide because it’s known to kill bees and soil organisms as well as contaminate waterways. Portland’s eateries value local bees because there are many farm-to-table restaurants that depend upon the golden pollinators to provide local food, which in turn attracts clientele.
Portland is in the process of replacing a section of its existing water supply network with Lucid Energy pipes. These pipes contain four 42-inch turbines. As water flows through the pipes, the turbines spin and power attached generators that feed energy back into the city’s electrical grid. This in-pipe hydropower system will be running at capacity in March.
This “smart technology” will also monitor the city’s water supply as well as assess the drinking quality of the water flowing through it. Pipes generating hydropower require downhill reaches of the municipal water network. Gravity forces water down the slope, spinning the turbines.
These pipes will generate an estimated $2 million worth of electricity over 20 years, or 1,100-megawatt hours per year. That’s enough electricity to run 150 homes annually.
As towns and cities across America begin future proofing in the face of the climate crisis, I predict that many communities will embrace Lucid Energy’s in-pipe hydropower technology because all that’s necessary are downhill slopes.
It’s time to end fossil fuel subsidies now. Green energy can easily provide enough electricity without destroying our global climate any further.
Earth Dr. Reese Halter is the author of “The Incomparable Honeybee and the Economics of Pollination.”
