News - Page 2 of 5 - Easy Hydro

Easy Hydro exhibits at the 2023 ACCADUEO H2O fair in Bologna

Posted on October 17, 2023October 19, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

The biennial ACCADUEO H2O exhibition has been the reference event for the Italian water sector for the past 30 years. Its 16th edition was held in Bologna in October 11th-13th and featured a busy schedule of events and conferences alongside two halls hosting hundreds of international exhibitors. Among them was Easy Hydro, who shared a stand with our partner Tecnidro.

This was the perfect opportunity to present a full-scale prototype of our hydro energy recovery solution for pressurized water networks. Instead of just dissipating the excess available pressure via throttling valves or tank inflow valves, the adoption of an Easy Hydro system allows the network operator to generate some valuable green electricity as a byproduct.

A big thank you to Tecnidro, SAER Elettropompe, to the organizers of the event and above all to the many who stopped by our stand during the three days! Stay tuned for the upcoming Easy Hydro events.

The iAMP-Hydro project, of which Easy Hydro is a member, has secured a €4.1M Horizon Europe research grant

Posted on September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

Easy Hydro is part of the iAMP-Hydro consortium (intelligent Asset Management Platform for Hydropower) that has been awarded with a €4.1 million Horizon Europe project to develop digital solutions that will improve the efficiency, flexibility and sustainability of the existing EU hydropower fleet. The project has the potential to make a huge impact on energy sustainability in the EU, where 50% of the current hydro generation assets may require upgrading by 2030.

The partners of the consortium will improve the operations of existing power stations through the development of new digital sensors and services, which will collectively form iAMP: a novel intelligent Asset Management Platform encompassing secure open and transparent data-sharing protocols and three novel digital solutions. These include new condition monitoring and predictive maintenance tools for hydropower turbines, the ecological water status monitoring and improved weather and flow forecasting.

Within the project, Easy Hydro will lead the development of a tool to improve the operations and maintenance of hydro generation assets. The aim is to increase the competitiveness of the existing hydro fleet by improving flexibility, energy generation and revenues. The full package of digital solutions will be validated at a diverse set of existing hydropower plants located around Europe, producing evidence for policy-makers to support the green and digital transition of hydropower. The hydropower plants where the solutions will be tested include schemes differing between themselves in terms of installed capacity, turbine type, water use, flow and head parameters, climatic conditions, and environmental sensitivities.

The three-years project partnership includes Trinity College Dublin, Easy Hydro, Cuerva Energia, Suite 5 Data Intelligence Solutions, CARTIF, EDP, PPC Renewables, WIP, Norce and Politehnica University of Bucharest.

Recovering Invisible Waste (a.k.a. “Can you really put a hydro there?!!”)

Posted on June 19, 2023June 18, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

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:

Easy Hydro completes the EIT RawMaterials Accelerator Programme

Posted on May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

The end of April 2023 marked the successful completion by Easy Hydro of the EIT RawMaterials Accelerator Programme. Over the past three years, the expert support and mentoring received from this EU funded programme has helped transform Easy Hydro from a promising startup to a fully formed hydropower energy recovery business with sales across seven countries and many exciting projects currently in progress.

The team at Easy Hydro would like to thank everyone at EIT RawMaterials for the support they have provided throughout the programme.

Easy Hydro collaborates in international research to maximize energy recovery from irrigation pipe networks

Posted on April 3, 2023April 4, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

Easy Hydro has collaborated in an international research investigation together with members of the University of Naples (Italy), University of Cordoba (Spain) and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). The research explored optimal locations for the selection of Pumps As turbines (PATs) to recover energy within branched pressurized networks.

New mixed integer non-linear models were developed and a global optimization solver employed. These methods were then applied to a case-study network located in Andalusia in Southern Spain. Among the whole pipe system distributed across 2691 ha, the optimal solution consisted of 5 PATs capable of producing around 289 MWh per year (despite the seasonal nature of the irrigation).

Plant curve: trend of the total head drop versus the total discharge within the branches selected for pumps as turbines installation.

This research reflects the commitment of Easy Hydro towards innovation and towards sustainable energy solutions enhancing the energy efficiency of water-intensive sectors.

The paper, titled “Exploring the optimal location of pumps as turbines within branched irrigation networks by global optimization”, is available at the link: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2022WR033317

Easy Hydro recognized as High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) by Enterprise Ireland

Posted on March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

We are glad to announce that Easy Hydro has recently been recognized as a High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) by Enterprise Ireland. The HPSU designation is reserved for businesses that demonstrate the potential for rapid growth and job creation, and provides access to funding, expertise and other support to help achieving those growth targets.

This recognition is a testament to Easy Hydro’s potential to become a successful business in Ireland and internationally, and is a major milestone for our company.

Easy Hydro commissions a new turbine in snowy Ireland

Posted on March 16, 2023March 17, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

Despite the snowy weather, our team has recently commissioned a new turbine at an enchanting remote location in Ireland. The Easy Hydro generation equipment has allowed our customer to refurbish a previously existing hydro site and to re-start producing electricity for self consumption. The system is capable of working autonomously and with minimal upkeep, thanks to the presence of a control panel operating the in-series flow control valve according to the amount of water available at the intake.

Easy Hydro offers a unique knowledge to design and implement small-scale hydropower generation, in a way that is cost-effective and modular. Get in touch with the team for a free-of-charge assessment of your project!

Easy Hydro was present at the International Energy and Sustainability fair GENERA 2023

Posted on March 7, 2023February 28, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

With over 25,000 professionals coming from 59 different countries, Easy Hydro could not want to miss the opportunity to attend GENERA, the International Energy and Sustainability fair held in Madrid from February 21 to 23.
The event proved to be an excellent opportunity to discuss with stakeholders, strengthen the relationship with our suppliers and customers, look for new opportunities and stay updated on the latest solutions within the energy sector.

Easy Hydro designs an energy recovery turbine for an European water utility

Posted on February 20, 2023February 21, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

A few days ago, the Easy Hydro team has submitted a feasibility study to an European water utility. The scope of the study was to assess the technical/economic feasibility of recovering energy by installing a 9 kW water turbine at the inlet of a gravity-fed water storage reservoir.

The project will only require minor modifications to the existing pipework, and will allow our customer to generate clean electricity as a byproduct of their operations.

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If you have a potential hydropower site, please get in touch with us for a free-of-charge pre-feasibility study which will help to identify the best way forward!

New Easy Hydro turbine deliveries in January

Posted on January 30, 2023January 31, 2023 by Easy Hydro team

The latest two Easy Hydro turbines are now built and ready to be delivered to new customers. These units will power a run-of-river scheme in Ireland and a hybrid micro-grid in rural Colombia.

Get in touch with Easy Hydro by emailing us at info@easyhydrosolutions.com to discuss your hydro project with the team, and to get a free budget estimate and equipment specifications to bring your renewable energy design to life!