The city has signed a $1,132,268 demonstration deal with InPipe Energy to test a small turbine that recovers energy from pressurized water leaving the East Branch reservoir in Putnam County, part of New York City’s upstate water supply. The contract appeared in a city notice published Oct. 21.
What is being tested
The notice says the project will test InPipe’s HydroXS micro-hydro turbine for energy recovery from pressurized water in a discharge line from the Department of Environmental Protection’s East Branch reservoir.
In plain terms: water already moving under pressure through a pipe spins a turbine, and the city captures some electricity it would otherwise leave on the table.
The contract is listed under the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, with the project labeled a “DEM Demo Project.”
How it was bought
The selection method is “Demonstration Project,” a procurement route the city uses to try out new products or technology on a limited basis before committing to them.
That means no traditional bidding war. The tradeoff is supposed to be a contained, one-site trial that shows whether the idea works before anyone buys more.
The notice classifies the work as construction and construction services.
Why it is worth watching
New York’s water system moves enormous volumes of water through pipes every day. If a small turbine can pull usable power from one discharge line, the obvious next question is how many other lines could host one.
The city has not said it plans to expand the test. For now, it is a $1.1 million experiment in a single pipe.
What the notice does not say
The notice does not say how much electricity the turbine is expected to produce, where that power would go, or how long the demonstration will run.
It also gives no criteria for judging whether the test succeeds.
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