A while back, I thought that the idea of water turbines in the Niagara River was pretty brilliant. Buffalo could capture power well before the current reached Niagara Falls. I’m not exactly sure what even happened to the proposals that had been submitted by out of state companies to tackle the project. The inaction is probably due to environmental concerns, or the experimental nature of the project. Back in 2006, engineers began experimenting with this type of hydro power in NYC’s East River.
While the tests were considered a success, it was noted that in order to scale the project, the turbines would have to be manufactured “tougher and smarter”, according to a recent article in The Main Street Wire. Moving forward, 30 turbines will be installed in the East River, which will generate a megawatt of power, which is enough provide energy to a thousand homes. Even then, there would have to be additional scalability to make the project financially viable.
Since the time that we first started reporting on the potential of Niagara River’s ‘tidal power’, we have seen more windmills spring up along the lake. The hulking generators have become symbolic of a new Buffalo. They are able to power 9000 New York homes, through power that is sold into the NYS ISO grid, which is then sold to retail customers.
Now, Portland, Oregon is taking hydropower to a completely different level. The city has installed hydroelectric turbines (Lucid Energy) in one of its main water pipes, according to Minds.com. That means that every time someone flushes a toilet, energy is generated.
When the system is fully in place, it is said that it will generate power for hundreds of thousands of homes. Now that it absolutely brilliant. The system is sustainable, environmentally friendly, safe, secure, versatile, adaptable, non-weather dependent, efficient, cost productive, and ready to go. It’s also available to other cities besides Portland.
In years to come, Buffalo will be dealing with its outdated sewers. Maybe someone should be looking into the cost/reward benefits of this Lucid Energy system? Let’s stay ahead of the curve.
Photos: Lucid Energy