Opportunity and Economic Feasibility of Inline Microhydropower Units in Water Supply Networks
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 142, Issue 11
Abstract
Small-scale hydropower is emerging as a decentralized source to satisfy local demand for electricity. In water supply systems, microhydropower can be used for energy recovery associated with excessive pressure control. However, there is a lack of specific solutions for applications within networks where discharges are highly variable and there are limitations of pressure. An arrangement of microturbines specially conceived for water supply networks is proposed, based on a recently tested microturbine for inline installation in pipes. The installation of up to four turbine units is possible within a buried chamber created around an existing pipe. The location of the chambers is analyzed using an optimization algorithm that considers two objective functions: energy production and economic value. The feasibility of the proposed arrangement for a microhydropower plant was assessed through a case study of a subgrid of the water supply network of Lausanne, Switzerland. A detailed analysis of the cost breakdown revealed that further to the electromechanical equipment, the number of isolation valves required in each layout may have an important role on the investments.
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Acknowledgments
This research is supported by the PhD grant ref. SFRH/BD/51931/2012 issued by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and scholarship issued by the Laboratory of Hydraulic construction under the IST-EPFL Joint PhD initiative. The authors acknowledge also the support of the Swiss Competence Center for Energy and Research - Supply of Electricity (SCCER-SoE) under contract CTI/2013.0288. The authors thank eauservice in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the time and data provided to support this work.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 142 • Issue 11 • November 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 27, 2016
Accepted: May 13, 2016
Published online: Jul 14, 2016
Published in print: Nov 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Dec 14, 2016
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