ABSTRACT

This report contains two very simple

ideas of generating electricity from
wastewater without incurring large
expenses.

Akshath Kothari
HYDROPOWER FROM
WASTEWATER
Project Proposal
Introduction
Hydropower or water power is power derived from the energy of falling water or fast
running water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes such as for electricity
generation.
Sewage is composed of rainwater and water discharged into sewers by humans and
production activities. The sewer system contains wastewater and human waste from
houses, offices, and factories. In India, an estimated 62,000 million litres per day (MLD)
sewage is generated in urban areas. Thus, sewage is considered to have a huge energy
potential.
By utilising the already existing structures of waste water treatment plants and/or sewage
pipelines, our work will effectively be reduced to just finding a good position for and
installing of a turbine or a generator. This will also result in reduced costs and time.
The objective of this study is to find a way to generate electricity in rural areas without
incurring large expenses.
This project focuses on Harinagar village in Jhunjhunu district, which is located in Rajasthan.

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The Idea
There are two approaches we can take. The first one requires installing a turbine
(specifically, a pico hydraulic turbine) in a sewage pipeline.

The process is very simple. Water flows into a

sewage pipeline at a very high pressure. This
water in turn flows through a hollow pico-
hydraulic turbine which results in the
generation of electricity.

Pico hydro is a term used for hydroelectric

power generation of under 5 kW. These
generators have proven to be useful in small,
remote communities that require only a small
amount of electricity – for example, to power
one or two fluorescent light bulbs and a TV or
radio in 50 or so homes. Even smaller
turbines of 200–300 W may power a single
home in a developing country with a drop of only one meter.

This approach can be taken for individual homes. The pros of taking this approach are: this is easy to
implement, has a good return on investment. The cons are: not much power is generated, the
generator has to be within 30m of the home it powers, may be expensive initially.

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The second approach is to install a generator in a water treatment plant close to the village.

Taking this approach will allow for the generation of much larger amounts of energy (5 to 100 kW).
The efficiency of the generator will depend on the position where it is installed in the water
treatment plant and its distance from the village.

The distance between Harinagar and the Pilani Sewage Treatment plant is about 3.1 km.

The distance between Harinagar and the Pilani Sewage Treatment Plant. Source: Google Earth

A shorter distance means lower energy loss.

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Conclusion
The effectiveness and the success of this project depends largely on how well it is implemented,
irrespective of the approach we choose to take. However, once successfully implemented, this
project will be an example for all future projects.

The above ideas are just ideas for now. In order for this project to actually work, much more research
will have to be done.

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Sources Used

A Feasibility Study of Power Generation from Sewage Using a Hollowed Pico-Hydraulic Turbine

Uchiyamaa, Honda, Okayamac, Degawaa

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095809917300875

Australia Gets Hydropower from Wastewater

Sonal Patel

https://www.powermag.com/australia-gets-hydropower-from-wastewater/

Hydropower from Wastewater, Final Report December 2011

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/Files/Publications/Research/Environmental/Hydropower-from-
Wastewater.pdf