HYDROVISION International

Watch: Denver Water video features HYDROVISION tour of micro hydro installation

Watch: Denver Water video features HYDROVISION tour of micro hydro installation

Denver Water has produced a video featuring its micro hydro installation in the South Boulder Canal near Ralston Reservoir, when HYDROVISION International 2022 attendees toured the facility and participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony.

This 8-mile-long concrete canal has been delivering water to the Denver area since the 1930s, as part of Denver Water’s northern delivery system. Denver Water typically runs water through the canal about nine months a year, with flows ranging between 50 and 300 cubic feet per second depending on time of the year and water demands in the city.

But it has taken on the added role of generating hydropower, with four small turbines spinning inside the concrete waterway and producing electricity. The turbines, supplied by Emrgy Inc., were connected to the local energy grid in mid-July.

“Denver Water has been producing hydropower at our dams for decades, but this is the first time we’ve generated power from one of our canals,” said Ian Oliver, source of supply director at Denver Water, whose team operates the utility’s dams, reservoirs and canals.

The innovative hydropower project began in 2017 when Denver Water teamed up with Emrgy, an Atlanta-based company that specializes in creating clean, sustainable energy using the flow of water through existing infrastructure. In 2017, Emrgy placed an initial array of turbines in the canal as part of a pilot project.

From the original pilot study, Emrgy refined the hydro system and made the assemblies more modular, so they are easier to deliver and install. The new turbines are easier to lift, handle and connect to the utility grid through the same inverters used in the solar power industry. The new design also made the turbines easier to remove for maintenance, according to Emrgy Cihief Executive Officer Emily Morris. Another enhancement focused on the design of the concrete flume box assembly. The flumes include curves in the concrete structure that direct moving water to pass by the rotors more efficiently. The new turbine system is also more “plug and play,” using the same onshore power electronics equipment used by the solar industry so it’s easier to connect to the power grid, said Morris.

Each turbine can produce 5 to 25 kW of instantaneous power depending on the speed and depth of the water in the canal.

Power generated by Emrgy’s South Boulder Canal turbines is distributed to the local power grid. Denver Water receives a credit for the hydropower on its utility bill, which helps offset energy consumption at the utility’s Northwater Treatment Plant and Ralston Reservoir.

Oliver said putting water to work to generate electricity is part of Denver Water’s annual goal of being a “net-zero” organization in terms of the utility’s overall energy consumption. With the addition of the South Boulder turbines, Denver Water now has 13 hydropower units at its facilities. The hydro program generates an average of 61,000 MWh of electricity annually.