A system of four 42-inch turbines built into a gravity-fed water main in Portland, OR is expected to produce an average of 1,100 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to power about 150 homes, the Portland Business Journal reports.
Local start-up LucidEnergy developed the project after testing the concept on a water main in Riverside, California. Portland General Electric will buy the power on a 20-year contract, after which the Portland Water Bureau will own the equipment.
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“We see this as an opportunity for people to come from all over the world to see how smart cities are dealing with infrastructure,” said social entrepreneur and Lucid founder Gregg Semier.
