Water Is Energy-Intensive and Costly
Enormous amounts of energy are expended every day to treat and distribute water:

• 6% of energy consumption in the US and 20% in California goes to move water;
• Power is purchased at great expense from a fossil-fuel dependent grid;
• Cost of power often represents 40%-50% of a water agency’s annual operating budget.

Upgraded Water Transmission Systems Needed
Increasing water scarcity, population movements and growth trends necessitate new and upgraded water transmission systems. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the U.S. population will increase by over 90 million people between 2010 and 2050. 50 million new residents are expected in the southern and western regions of the U.S. alone.

Water Infrastructure Needs Modernizing
Most transmission lines are significantly deteriorated – their average age is 70 years, with many over 100 years old. According to the EPA, approximately 17 percent of treated water in the United States is lost through leaking transmission pipes; Boston loses 30 percent of its water through transmission leakage, and it is estimated that the City of London loses almost 50 percent.

Creating a Smart Water Grid
The idea of a smart water grid is well known in electrical utility circles and being brought to market by the likes of GE Water, ITT and Siemens. LucidPipe can provide a cost-effective, process-driven means of powering the various monitoring devices and control systems to create this smart water grid. Often located in remote areas, LucidPipe can provide the energy to power these devices by recovering energy found within the pipeline.