Micro Hydro

Net Head: 30ft
Rated Output: 300W

A utility company in Oregon wanted to install a SCADA RTU system for remote monitoring and control of drinking water flow rates in a transmission to distribution connection vault. Even though the vault was located near existing power lines, no connection was available within the vault to power the equipment and connecting to the local grid proved prohibitively expensive.

SOAR instead proposed a low-pressure Micro Hydro GPRV at a fraction of the cost. The Micro Hydroturbine was installed in parallel with the existing water line, borrowing a small portion of water to generate adequate electricity before returning it for distribution. A sophisticated control system generates and stores enough power to run the equipment, shutting itself down when not needed to prolong system life. The utility now sends telemetry back to their headquarters for analysis and remotely adjusts flow rates without leaving the office.