Lucid Energy Turns ​Piped Water ​into Electricity

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Lucid Energy Turns ​Piped Water ​into Electricity

To reach your tap, water flows through a network of pipes. Lucid Energy company is using the pressure in those pipes to create energy.

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Nina Bergan French, CEO of Lucid Energy says: “We take the excess pressure that would otherwise be thrown away, and we convert it into electricity.”

Her company installs turbines inside gravity-fed water pipes. They provide energy without interrupting service.

 “It’s a whole pipe system with one or more turbines in it, with a generator sitting outside the pipe, connected to either the grid or a battery backup.”

Unlike most hydropower, the system does not pose risks to wildlife or its habitat. And unlike solar and wind …

Bergan French: “This technology works 24/7. If the water is flowing, we’re making electricity. It’s not dependent on day and night. It’s not dependent on the weather.”

A pilot project in California powers street lights. And another in Oregon makes enough electricity to power about 100 homes.

French says the company is working on making the turbines more efficient. She expects that they will have a commercially viable product ready for testing by the end of the year. The goal is to provide a source of renewable energy that can be easily integrated as cities upgrade their water pipes

Read more: Yale Climate Connections

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