For Immediate Release
Contact: Gina Leichty, Director of Communications
gina@lucidenergy.com
574.312.5677
Goshen Firm Leverages Recovery Act Funds to Develop Advanced Hydropower Technology
Goshen, Ind. Lucid Energy Technologies, LLP (“Lucid”) today announced it received a $1,000,000 dollar grant award from the U.S. Department of Energy to further develop and commercialize its key product, Northwest PowerPipe™. Funds from the Department’s Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grant program enable small companies to move competitive ideas into the marketplace.
Lucid, with assistance from Northwest Pipe Company, developed a unique power generating system to produce renewable energy from large-diameter water transmission pipelines. The heart of this system is Lucid’s novel spherical turbine, designed to extract energy that is currently wasted, while minimizing its effect to the pressure and flow necessary for water delivery. Lucid’s innovation stands to generate millions of
kilowatt-hours of electricity from a previously untapped source of energy.
“The award announcement could not have come at a better time for Lucid,” said President and CEO, Tim Braun. “We’re at a critical stage in development. We need to install additional pilot projects to prove our technology to the water utility industry. The grant funds will accelerate our deployment of test sites and move us into the marketplace at a much faster pace.”
Moving water from one place to another is an extremely energy intensive and expensive operation. Water agencies spend a large portion of their budgets on electricity to move water from one place to another. By
harnessing the potential energy from excess pressure in gravity fed pipelines and turning it into electricity, Northwest PowerPipe™ can add tremendous value for a pipeline operator.
“In order for Northwest PowerPipe™ to gain full acceptance in the water utility industry, water agencies must see our systems in action,” asserts Josh Kanagy, Director of Business Development. “Our customers are extremely risk-averse, as they should be. Water agencies are charged with making sure safe drinking water is available to everyone who needs it – without disruption. Lucid has to demonstrate we have the capacity to generate electricity and keep water moving.”
Going National
While Lucid’s engineering headquarters are located in Goshen, Indiana, a majority of the company’s projects will be spread throughout the U.S. “Goshen is an ideal spot for our administrative office because of its
central location. The likelihood is that most of our project installations will be on either coast, where large-diameter transmission pipelines are located,” states Braun.
Lucid already has a pilot project in Riverside, California, and it is evaluating sites in Dallas, Texas and Chelan County, Washington. Both locations are prospective sites for use of Lucid’s research grant funds.
Lucid Energy Technologies, LLP is a clean tech firm based in Goshen, Indiana which designs and engineers hydropower technologies based on its patented vertical axis turbines.
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Photo 1: Engineer and inventor of Lucid's spherical turbine, Rod
Schlabach, and grant-writer, Gina Leichty, celebrate the good news from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
Photo 2:
Northwest PowerPipe(tm) system installation.
Lucid Energy Technologies, LLP is a member of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
