Squeezing Energy From Public Waterworks

Hydropower from dams and even pico hydro in countries like Vietnam with poor, widely distributed populations aren't that uncommon. But how much thought has gone into even things as simple as reclaiming waste energy from municipal water flows already in place? Rentricity has designed a system that can capture from 30-200 kW from existing municipal water streams using microturbines, and the state of Rhode Island has given the company a grant from that state's Renewable Energy Fund. In addition to generating electricity, the system will provide advanced system monitoring capabilities not now present.