Over the last several decades, significant research and development in the energy sector has yielded cleaner and better ways to generate the energy we need to grow our economy while mitigating the environmental impacts of that energy generation. This R&D has led to innovations in solar and wind energy, hydroelectric power, battery storage and more, significantly increasing our portfolio of clean energy options. Even as our options have expanded, innovation continues, with greater potential for sources like hydrogen and renewable natural gas on the horizon, as well as new opportunities for energy harvesting.
That is what Dakota Energy Systems has done with its hydro electric power system (HEPS), which harvests energy from a variety of sources including municipal and private water systems, water and wastewater treatment plants, oil and gas, and commercial, industrial and manufacturing industries. The HEPS designed by Dakota Energy is clean, carbon-free, and three times more efficient than solar and wind energy. And, while typical hydroelectric power systems operate using water, Dakota Energy’s HEPS can operate with any low viscosity fluid.
Energy harvesting, as a concept, is simply the process of capturing residual energy as a byproduct of a commercial, industrial or manufacturing processes. Typically, this residual energy is released into the environment as heat. But capturing that energy and putting it to use can have a significant economic and environmental impact.
Dakota Energy’s system consists of three primary components that are pre-fabricated and can be attached to an existing or new hydronic piping system: 1) high efficiency turbine; 2) high efficiency AC generator; and 3) a hydronic pumping system. The system operates under pressure, and is designed to harvest the energy generated within the hydronic piping system. In essence, the HEPS system captures energy within a hydronic piping system by reducing the pressure within municipal or private pipelines, capturing energy from fluid flow, and then converting it into clean, carbon-free electricity. It does this by spinning a highly efficient turbine coupled to a high efficiency multi-RPM generator, such that the power created by the generator is delivered directly to an electrical distribution panel or back to the grid. The system can operate in either a closed-loop or open-loop setting with a wide range of fluid flow and pressure differential. And the modular design of the system coupled with its simple “turn key” installation makes it appropriate for a variety of applications, including both municipal and private water companies, oil injection wells, and water/wastewater treatment plants.
The idea of energy harvesting is not new, of course. There are other examples of systems that harvest energy from vibration, thermal or chemical energy generated by industrial processes, and radiofrequency energy in the environment. But Dakota Energy’s system represents a new innovation in its approach. Recognizing the potential for harvesting energy from the many existing building facilities and piping systems around the United States (and indeed, the world), many of which operate large capacity, large horsepower, inefficient pumps, Dakota Energy focused on creating a system with a simple design, construction and operation, with a relatively low implementation cost and yielding the maximum possible efficiency. The result is actual cost savings, with a typical payback on the capital investment in two to four years, as well as significant energy savings.
For example, in one custom-designed Dakota Energy Systems HEPS installation in an industrial facility, if the system operates 24/7/365 as intended, the facility will realize an energy cost savings of over $11,000 annually. Even more impressive, the facility will save over 70,000 KWH of energy that the local utility did not have to provide.
Recently, Dakota Energy announced the successful installation of its system in a private water station in Southern Orange County, CA. According to Dakota Energy, this system will generate up to 157,680 kWh or 157 MW of electricity per year, and the electricity harvested will feed back to the San Diego Gas & Electric power grid to offset electrical costs. The system will also help extend life of the water infrastructure, and help the area’s climate action goals.
It should not be surprising that world energy consumption is expected to increase 50 percent by 2050: As our economies and communities continue to grow, we will need more sources of energy to power them. Yet we also know that we cannot continue to rely exclusively on traditional forms of energy generation to power our future economies, as we are already seeing the detrimental environmental consequences of the old way of doing things. As we look to develop and deploy cleaner sources of energy, Dakota Energy’s hydroelectric energy harvesting system demonstrates how innovation in energy generation and energy efficiency will help us meet both our future energy needs and our environmental goals.