The Feasibility of Small Hydro-Electric Generation in a Large Urban Area

Abstract

The possibilities of generating electric power from relatively small hydro-electric sources in a large urban area is investigated. Two different aspects of hydro-electric sources have been studied: storm/waste water pipes in large multi-tenanted residential buildings and urban storm water discharge area (CSI area). The potential to generate from these sources has been investigated using a micro-turbine. The potential electric power which could be extracted from the sources was estimated using energy conservation equations under normal engineering assumptions. While technically feasible, all options are shown to be uneconomic in practice.