DuoTurbo
- Completed
Switzerland’s national energy strategy plans to replace nuclear energy completely with other cleaner energy sources by 2050. Small-scale hydropower has a part to play in this and, according to the different projected scenarios, its annual energy production is set to increase from 0.3 TWh to 1.3 TWh in 2050. To achieve this, new decentralised ways of generating power must be explored, such as tapping into the energy potential of drinking water supply networks.
It was to this end that a new Duo Turbo axial turbine has been conceived, developed and designed in a project led by the Hydroelectricity group at the HES-SO Valais-Wallis School of Engineering, in collaboration with EPFL’s Laboratory for Hydraulic Machines and several SMEs in Valais. This turbine recovers the energy from existing infrastructures, in particular drinking water supply networks.
The aim of this project was to develop a mini-turbine with a variable power output of between 5 kW and 25 kW by the end of 2015, providing a return on investment of less than 10 years. One of the key aspects of the project was miniaturisation, enabling the turbines to be installed inside existing pipework. This turbine has been available on the market since 2016.