Our Commercial Director Mike has recently published an article on the UK’s EMA (Energy Managers Association) Magazine issue 2/2023, pages 35-37 which describes a number of pioneering hydropower energy recovery applications that the Easy Hydro team has designed over the last few years. These installations span across several industries (drinking water, hydropower, underground mining, mineral processing) but they all share the same design principle: how to generate electricity from the excess pressure of process water flowing inside existing pipes?
Large businesses are getting good at spotting their waste and minimising it: Reducing it; Recycling it. Yet for many of these, if they are large water users, there may be another waste that they don’t see: the excess water pressure in their pipes…
Mike Pedley
The full article can be read online on the EMA Magazine web page (no registration required) or via the viewer below:
Daniele Novara, CEO of Easy Hydro, has been announced as a finalist in the upcoming EU Sustainable Energy Awards in relation to the first-ever hydropower station in a mine. The public vote on the online platform is open until the 22nd of October, and it is now possible to support Daniele by clicking on the link below:
A mere 40 kilometres north of Dublin, Ireland, a water turbine located deep in a zinc mine is producing 30 kW of clean energy thanks to a novel technology developed by Daniele Novara, 29, and his start-up Easy Hydro. Such innovative technology has stemmed from Daniele’s work at Trinity College Dublin and uses modular water pumps to create low-cost, small-scale hydropower stations capable of exploiting untapped energy within existing water pipes.
Our installation at the zinc mine in Ireland is the first-ever hydropower station within an operating underground mine. At this site alone we will see annual savings of 200 MWh, the equivalent of powering roughly 50 households, and an offset of about 60 tonnes of carbon per year,“ explains Daniele. “Our technology is particularly suitable for recovering energy from pipe networks and existing water infrastructure, making it a scalable solution for mining companies looking to green their operations and consume less electricity”.
During his PhD at Trinity College Dublin, Daniele, an Italian-born engineer, developed the intellectual property that eventually led to him founding Easy Hydro at the end of 2019. Thanks to collaboration with EU-based equipment manufacturers and a Swedish mining company, together with funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) Raw Materials consortium, he and his team were able to complete the first turbine installation in 2021.
Prior to completing his PhD in Ireland, Daniele obtained a BSc in Italy at Politecnico di Torino and a double MSc degree in Energy Engineering and Management from universities in Poland and Portugal offered by the EIT InnoEnergy consortium. This international outlook has followed Daniele to the business world, where as CEO of Easy Hydro he is already in discussions to replicate the hydropower station with major mining companies in areas such as North America, South Africa and Sweden.
Our goal now is to focus on commercialisation and creating a positive impact in the mining sector at scale,“ says Daniele. “The pilot installation proves that we can produce carbon-free electricity from surplus water pressure in the underground works in a cost-effective way”.
There is an outstanding potential with this technology. Its widespread use could result in savings of over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually,“ says Daniele. With large-scale adoption of the technology in view, he is optimistic about the impact his company can make and its contribution to bringing the EU closer to the 2030 targets.
European youth take action to shape a sustainable energy future
Daniele Novara is one of three finalists shortlisted for the EU Sustainable Energy Awards 2021 in the Young Energy Trailblazer category. The award recognises outstanding activities carried out by young people (under 35) which advance the clean energy transition in Europe and inspire ambitious climate and energy action.
EU Sustainable Energy Awards recognise champions of 2030 climate and energy targets
Twelve outstanding individuals and projects are highlighted at the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2021 for their innovation in energy efficiency and renewables. Finalists were chosen from a list of the year’s most successful projects for clean, secure and efficient energy. The awards have four categories – Engagement, Innovation, Woman in Energy and Young Energy Trailblazer – as well as the Citizen’s Award, which will be received by one of the projects in the first two categories. Prizes will be awarded by an expert jury (for Engagement and Innovation), and by citizens via a public vote, which is now open until 22 October. The five winners will be announced on Monday 25 October during EUSEW 2021.
EUSEW 2021
EUSEW 2021 runs from 25 to 29 October 2021, under the theme ‘Towards 2030: Reshaping the European Energy System’. Taking place ahead of the decisive COP 26, the event brings together energy policy experts, industry leaders, academia and civil society representatives to discuss how forward-looking policies for decarbonisation, energy efficiency, climate mitigation, and many others comprising the European Green Deal, can help rebuild a better and more resilient society and economy.
EUSEW 2021 is held as an online event once again, with more opportunities than ever to connect, engage, network and reflect on the biggest issues in clean energy in Europe and beyond.
Registrations for participants and for media are now open. For interview requests with the EUSEW 2021 Award finalists or additional media information, please contact media@eusew.eu
CREDITS FOR THE TURBINE INSTALLATION
This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union under the Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
Easy Hydro, a spinout from Trinity College Dublin, has been awarded a €49,000 Booster grant from the EU consortium EIT RawMaterials to build a pilot energy recovery installation at Tara Mines in Navan. As a part of a collaboration between Easy Hydro and the site owner Boliden, a novel type of water turbine will be commissioned to recover energy from the underground water mains carrying fresh water down the mine.
The site
It has been decided to place the Easy Hydro turbine in parallel to an existing pressure reducing station on a DN150 pipeline carrying clean water from the surface.
With an average flow rate of 22 l/s and a pressure drop of 21 bar, the turbine will output up to 30 kW of clean renewable energy resulting in yearly savings of over 200 MWh of electricity otherwise imported from the grid. Such amount of energy corresponds to the annual consumption of nearly 50 average Irish households.
The proposed installation will directly offset over 60 tons of CO2 per year, and such technology if replicated over a number of other similar locations within the same mine has the potential to significantly reduce the current carbon footprint of Tara Mines.
Besides, the expected payback time of the installation is between 2 and 3 years and considering an equipment life of 25 years the generated energy will feature an extremely low Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE).
This work is highly relevant to our wider sustainability agenda and compatible with the underground mining operations carried out by Boliden Tara Mines
Paschal Walsh, Boliden’s Environmental, Health, Safety & Energy Manager
This project in collaboration with Boliden and EIT RawMaterials is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the applicability of the unique Easy Hydro energy recovery technology in the mining sector
Daniele Novara, Easy Hydro’s Managing Director
Description of the technology
Small-scale and modular hydropower turbines which can be installed along existing pipe networks. Such turbines can be placed in a bypass of an existing valve, e.g. pressure reducing valves, control valves, tank inflow regulation valves. The turbine can thus transform the dissipated pressure into usable electricity, with power outputs ranging from a few kilowatts up to hundreds of kilowatts.
The type of turbine adopted is reliable and widely tested and consists of standard pumps running in reverse as turbines (PAT – Pumps As Turbines) which only cost a fraction of a conventional custom-made hydro turbine.
Features:
The turbines consist of standard water pumps running in reverse mode
Range of power output from 1 to 300+ kW, range of flows from 15 to 3,600+ m3/h, range of pressure from 1 to 300 bar
Benefits:
Low installation cost, just a fraction of a conventional turbine (Francis, Pelton, Crossflow…)
Easy maintenance, as pump spare parts and skilled technicians are easily available
Modular system, plug and play
Fail-safe bypass and hands-off operations
Values:
Exploiting an untapped potential within an existing pipe infrastructure
Reducing the electricity needs and CO2 emissions of a mine
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