Investigation of clean energy production in drinking water networks

Abstract

Viable renewable energy sources must be low-cost, easy to install, clean, and reliable if they are to meet the energy demand of urban or rural areas. Water is able to provide efficient sources of electrical energy among alternative renewable energy sources. Using modern hydraulic techniques, drinking water can be transported to the areas where it is needed. Studies on obtaining energy from drinking water networks are quite limited. Although not as necessary as water in terms or human health, electrical power is still critically important in many applications (lighting, heating, cooling, etc.). Consequently, many countries are developing energy using various renewable energy sources. In this study, a water distribution network in the Armağan Village of Maçka district of Trabzon province were used to obtain electrical energy. There are 47 pressure breaking valves (PBVs) in this network and the broken energy height is 236.35 m. The same energy loss can be achieved by installing microturbines instead of PBVs, and electricity generation can thus be achieved with a clean energy source. It was found that 84.12kWh of energy was obtained from each PBV, with a total of 3950kWh. The most suitable microturbine was selected according to sound microturbine selection criteria. From this study, it is revealed that electricity can be produced by using a Microturbine instead of Pressure Breaker Valves (PBVs).