Hydropower Potential from the AUSINO Drinking Water System

The urban water cycle spends energy to provide communities drinking water and to treat produced wastewater. The same cycle can also provide energy by exploiting the kinetic energy of water flowing into the network to turn turbines and generate electricity. In this framework, this work focuses on the hydropower potential arising from the installation of a water turbine at the end of the pipeline of the water supply system “New Aqueduct”, managed by the “Ausino S.p.A. Servizi Idrici Integrati” in the Campania Region, Italy. The plant allows to reach—in some circumstances—a minimum power level at which the return of the investment occurs in a reasonable time period. In facts, the supply system exhibits somewhere pressure heads of up to hundreds meters, a matter which has been seen of a certain relevance as attenuation systems such as pressure relief valves were adopted to reduce pressure levels. Today, this related 'waste of available potential energy’ can be conveniently avoided by installing proper energy recovery apparatuses as detailed in this study.