East Bay Municipal Utilities District project to generate power via drinking water delivery system
The East Bay Municipal Utilities District is installing a device designed to generate electricity by using the movement of water through its drinking water delivery system.
The installation of the "in-conduit hydroelectricity" system will generate 130,000 kilowatt hours of emissions-fee power per year, according to EBMUD officials.
A typical home uses about 11,000 kilowatt hours per year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The new system is designed by InPipe Energy, a California-based clean energy company.
"EBMUD is always looking for innovative opportunities to meet our goal to become a carbon-neutral enterprise and contribute to fighting climate change," said EBMUD Board Member Marguerite Young.
The InPipe system is part of a pilot program that will be evaluated at some point to see if it should be continued or expanded.