Hydroelectric Energy from Wastewater

There are a large number of opportunities for extracting energy from flowing streams of water. Many of these streams are manmade. As an example, more than 15,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities operate in the United States. These facilities process in excess of 34,000 million gallons of water per day (34,000 MGD). This project will develop technology for harvesting energy in wastewater effluent streams, thereby reducing the power demands of the treatment facilities. The technology will be deployed in the existing effluent channels, enabling the capture of energy without any new environmental impact. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Technology that helps to reduce the power demand associated with processing water should find a ready market within the water and wastewater industry. At this time, no supplier is providing equipment that addresses this flow regime within this market niche. The technology also should be applicable to other markets, notably the potable public water supply, power generation facilities, and paper mills.