Power is in the pipe

CHUCK POULSEN 2008-02-19 Kelowna Daily Courier
Lake Country‘s go-green pipe dream will probably take another step forward tonight. Municipal council is expected to vote on the awarding of a contract for the design and construction of a hydro-generation project that would harness the power of water as it flows downhill in a pipe from an intake to the Eldorado Reservoir. A turbine-generator from Canyon Industries in Washington state, placed inside the pipe, will turn the water flow into electricity. “We‘re at the point where we are hiring our design engineers,” said Lake Country administrator Randy Rose. “There are four proposals we are still reviewing, but, hopefully, we‘ll have a recommendation for council (today). “It a pretty unique project, so we have to make sure they have the right expertise.” The intake is up a hill near Vernon Creek, with the pipe running down to the reservoir. “Right now, there is all this energy in the pipe going to waste,” said Rose. “Our paybacks should be relatively short, some time between five and 10 years. It‘s part of our green initiatives. Like a lot of municipalities, we are looking at ways to do things more efficiently and reduce greenhouse gasses.” The electricity will be sold to B.C. Hydro and put on its grid for general distribution for at least the next 20 years. It‘s the equivalent of a supply for about 200 households per year. “Longer term, we also have the ability to use it ourselves if we wanted,” said Rose. The budget for the project is $3.1 million. The municipality is expected to get $350,000 in eco credits from the federal government over the next 10 years as well as $200,000 per year from B.C. Hydro for the electricity.