In Pipe Micro Hydro Power Generation
Harnessing Hidden Hydro: A Pilot Study on In-Pipe Micro-Hydro Power Generation in Malaysia
Across the globe, water utility networks manage immense pressure to ensure efficient distribution. This pressure, often seen as a necessary byproduct, can also be a hidden source of renewable energy.
The In Pipe Micro Hydro Renewable Power Generation project was established to explore this potential. This pioneering initiative, a strategic partnership between UTM, MyNEF, Daikin Power, and Ranhill SAJ, aimed to introduce and assess a novel Japanese technology within Malaysia's existing water infrastructure. The core objective was to install a small-scale turbine directly into water pipe networks to convert excess water pressure into usable electricity, moving beyond traditional pressure reduction methods.
Organization
This project, titled The In Pipe Micro Hydro Renewable Power Generation Project, is a powerful example of international and local collaboration, bringing together expertise from academia, industry, and utility sectors.
The core partners are:
University Technology Malaysia (UTM): Providing key technical and academic expertise, particularly on the electrical engineering aspects in Malaysia.
New Entrepreneurs Foundation (MyNEF): Initiating the collaboration, exploring the technology, and driving the local partnership and commercial viability assessment.
Daikin Power (Japan): The technology provider, contributing the innovative In-Pipe Micro-Hydro power generation system, including the crucial inverter technology and control systems.
Ranhill SAJ (Malaysia): The water concession holder and crucial implementation partner, providing the network infrastructure for the pilot project.
The Challenge
The conventional method for managing excessive pressure in water distribution networks is the use of Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs). While effective for pipeline protection and leakage reduction, PRVs achieve this by merely dissipating the excess energy as heat and friction—an act of energy wastage. The challenge addressed by this project was twofold:
Transforming Waste: To find an economically and technically viable alternative to PRVs that could capture this otherwise wasted kinetic energy and convert it into a valuable resource: electricity.
Local Suitability: To determine if the specific conditions of Malaysian water networks, operational environment, and regulatory landscape were conducive to the successful and efficient operation of Daikin Power’s advanced micro-hydro system.
The Solution
The project's solution involved deploying a micro-hydro turbine system directly within a strategic point of the Ranhill SAJ water pipe network.
The Technology
The In Pipe Micro-Hydro system functions by installing a bespoke turbine that harnesses the natural flow and inherent excess pressure within the pipe network to drive a generator. Key to the system's efficiency and grid integration is the proprietary inverter technology and sophisticated control systems provided by Daikin Power. The generated electricity can then be transported to the national grid or used for self-consumption within the utility’s own facilities.
Implementation and Findings
Following initial knowledge transfer (with MyNEF visiting Daikin Power in Osaka) and rigorous site selection (culminating in a finalized location in Johor), the team—supported by UTM's electrical engineering expertise and Daikin Malaysia as the local technical partner—implemented a full-scale pilot evaluation.
The conclusion of the pilot was largely positive:
Technical Viability: The technology was found to be technically suitable for implementation within Malaysian water infrastructure.
Widespread Potential: A significant finding was the identification of hundreds of potentially suitable locations across the network where this solution could be successfully applied.
Economic Hurdle: Despite the technical success and environmental benefits (such as a lowered carbon footprint), the project identified a major hurdle: the high implementation cost. When benchmarked against prevailing Malaysian renewable energy alternatives, such as solar and battery storage, the micro-hydro solution currently faces a stiff economic challenge, necessitating further optimisation or financial incentives to be fully competitive.
Gallery
