Canada's National Observer
Summary
Could the water flowing from your tap also power the creation of electricity? In a word, yes.
For the past ten years, Halifax Water has been doing just that in Nova Scotia by creating clean, renewable energy via an in-line turbine added to its water system infrastructure.
Halifax’s gravity-fed water distribution system, flowing from the heights of Pockwock Lake down to the Halifax peninsula, serves a geographical area filled with hills and valleys. To regulate water pressure, engineers have designed pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) so that people living at the bottom of a hill aren’t drinking from a fire hose, while those at the top of a hill only get a trickle out of their taps. These PRVs release the excess pressure from downstream flows in the form of sound and heat within the valve and pipe work (think whistling tea kettle). This excess pressure doesn’t have to be wasted, though. By replacing a traditional PRV with an in-line turbine, pressure can be converted into electricity, says Jeff Knapp, senior manager of energy and business development at Halifax Water.
Wastewater heat recovery makes sense in new developments, too, like some already underway in downtown Halifax.
“The Cogswell District Energy System is currently under construction. The Distribution Piping System has been fully installed and the energy centre, which will be located at the Halifax treatment facility, is currently being designed. The system is expected to be operational by late 2028,” Knapp says.
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