Portland Just Installed Water Pipes That Generate Electricity!

[OxQQme]

http://themindunleashed.org/2015/02/portland-just-installed-water-pipes-generate-electricity.html

[Travis_0004]

1. Not a bad idea, but probably one that can not be used in most places

Most of the time you have to pump water to get it to where you want it to go.

It would make no sense to pump it, then add a generator, that adds resistance, and causes your pumps to work harder. Where I live, our city water comes from one of the lowest point in the city, so all water requires the use of pumps.

I hope this does work, and some cities can certainly take advantage of it on a gravity fed system.

[mopinko]

2. maybe it would work better in sewage pipes.

they tend to be laid out going downhill.

[Travis_0004]

3. I wouldn't think so

water pipes are (hopefully) very clean inside and always full, so a turbine works well.

Sewer pipes are not always as full, so it wouldn't have as much force, and I imagine the debris would clog it up.

Also, sewer pipes may often have more pumps. With water, you can find the highest spot of land, build a water tower, and pump water to the top, let gravity do the rest. This wouldn't work on sewer pipes. Every time a sewer pump starts to go uphill, you need a pump at the bottom. A water pipe could just follow the hill up and down, and pressure from the water tower does the work.

[mopinko]

4. obviously you would have to choose both your lines and you

turbines carefully. sewage, being heavier, could even work better.