LucidPipe uses unique, in-pipe turbines that spin as water passes through them, producing clean, reliable, low-cost electricity with no impact on the environment or water delivery.
source/image: Lucid Energy
The LucidPipe Power system converts excess pressure inside gravity-fed municipal water pipelines into carbon-free, renewable energy — without disrupting water delivery or the environment.
source/image: Lucid Energy
How it works: Water from snow and rainfall fills remote, high-elevation reservoirs, feeding pipelines that move water to the point-of-use. As the water flows downhill, gravity creates pressure in the pipeline that is normally relieved by pressure-reducing valves.
source/image: Lucid Energy
The LucidPipe turbines, which spin as water flows through them, are placed in-line in the pipes of a water transmission network. The amount of electricity generated is a function of the rate of flow and the pressure inside the transmission pipe.
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For example, in a standard 60-inch-diameter pipeline, with flow velocity of seven feet per second and 92.3 ft of head 40 psi of excess head pressure, a single LucidPipe unit could produce up to 100kW of power while extracting about 11.5 ft of head (5 PSI) from the system.
They generate electricity by harvesting the excess pressure in the pipeline, reducing the work done by pressure-reducing valves and turning an otherwise untapped energy source into clean electricity for on-site use, to charge batteries and electric vehicles or to feed back to the grid.
