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Projects are underway in Antalya in southern Turkey for hydropower turbines inside water pipelines. The devices would recover waste energy as water travels from high altitudes to the city, instead of managing excess pressure with valves. Two systems, both planned for supply pipes from the Karaağaç spring, would have 1.94 MW in combined capacity.
In-pipe hydropower systems are gaining in popularity for their decarbonization and energy efficiency potential, as they are simple and don’t harm the environment. With equipment becoming more accessible, it is a chance for waterworks operators and water supply companies to generate electricity without any significant interventions in space. The Antalya Water and Wastewater Administration (ASAT) is ready to start construction of a 570 kW system within its project BKES-1.
BKES-2, which just entered the environmental impact assessment phase, is for a 1.37 MW facility. ASAT, controlled by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, aims to launch works within five months.
The hydropower generators would be in pipelines bringing water from a high altitude to the coastal city in southwest Anatolia. Both transport water from the Karaağaç spring in the Alakır valley in Kumluca municipality in the same province.
The in-pipe turbines would recover waste energy that is otherwise vented to reduce pressure
The project aims to recover energy that is otherwise lost in pressure reduction. Instead of venting it, the water is directed through a turbine.
ASAT revealed that it would use the output for its own consumption. BKES-2 would be at the Inlice site in Kuzca, in Kumluca. The facility would take up 1,671 square meters. It is valued at TRY 94.61 million (EUR 1.85 million).
The electricity produced using waste energy would be injected into the power distribution grid via a 1,600 kVA transformer and a 3.5-kilometer connection line.
Antalya-based engineering and consultancy firm Onat Çevre ve Arıtma Teknolojileri presented the new project.
Municipal units in Turkey are emerging as a pillar of the country’s energy transition. The Antalya city authority covers more than half of its electricity needs from its own solar power plants.
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