Specialty Engineering
Our Applied Solutions focus on Transparency & Infrastructure Integrity
Our Proven Process
Rentricity has been providing commercial clean energy recovery solutions in water infrastructure since 2012 with over 26 installations in the United States and Canada generating over 1.3MW of clean energy per year. The Company’s engineering team and partners maintain deep domain experience including:
- Hydraulic optimization, performance modelling & analysis;
- Mechanical/structural design of the bypass loops;
- Reliability, availability and maintainability of entire system;
- Regulatory & Safety Compliance & Quality Assurance;
- Interface w/grid utility for intertie;
- Electrical design of integrated power/controls;
- Sustainability and environmental reviews;
- Specialty HMI & SCADA;
- Sole-source provider of NSF 61/372 – certified in-conduit hydropower turbine equipment packages.
Sustainable Solutions
Rentricity’s robust specialty engineering approach to the design, creation, and operation of In-conduit hydropower systems has been honed over the past 20 years of research with 10 years of commercial operations. In simplistic terms, the approach consists of data gathering, assessment, identification and quantification of system goals, creation of transparent and protective system design concepts, design/performance trade-offs, selection and implementation of the best equipment design with verification that the design is properly constructed and integrated, and post-implementation assessment of how well the system meets the goals of our Clients.
The Difference in Our Design-Build Approach
The Rentricity in-conduit hydropower systems engineering method recognizes that each In-Flow-to-Wire system is composed of diverse, specialized infrastructure and operational duty cycles. It recognizes that any Flow-to-Wire installation must be transparent to normal operations and must protect the primary mission of the water operator. Finding the right balance between variable operating conditions, clean energy production and overall costs differ widely from system to system. The Rentricity methods seeks to optimize the overall system output versus realistic and weighted factors across engineering, equipment selection and start-up. This wholistic approach is critical to success.
A Closer Look at the Approach
Assessment and Preliminary Design
Evaluation of client’s site and/or water system
- Study to assess overall energy generation potential kW
- Potential relative ranking of sites
- Access to electric grid
- Permitting requirements
- Characteristics of existing infrastructure
- Type of energy recovery equipment and configuration
- Price of electricity
- Back-fitting requirements
- Indicative costs
- Financing alternatives
Financial model
- Estimates for total costs of back-fitting energy recovery system
- Discounted cash flow
- Payback when considering financing alternatives
- Determine best capital sources through grant/loan funding or third party finance
Deliverables
- Summary & Shovel-Ready Documentation of Assessment
- Cost Estimates and Technical Feasibility
Final Design and Procurement of In-conduit Hydropower System
Engineering
- Complete final design with stamped drawings and specifications if required
Permitting Procurement
- Local, State and federal agency permits
Construction/Installation
- Electric utility interconnection/ Interfaces and Upgrades
- Develop Project Manual for CMAR or equivalent Contractor bids
Hydropower System
- Early Direct Procurement
Construction, Startup, and Commissioning
Finalize Constructor Contract
Release Contractor for Procurement of Commodities
Complete Construction and Startup
Finalize Capital through grant/loan funding or third-party finance
Why Rentricity?
Rentricity is unique and offers the most cost-effective approach to transparently applying In-conduit hydropower equipment into solid pipe infrastructure to manage pressure and recover clean energy. The Company has focused solely on In-conduit hydropower since inception in 2003, conducting extensive research, incubating the Company at New York University’s first cleantech Incubator, now called the Urban Future Lab, and commencing commercial operation in 2012 with an exclusive NSF-certified equipment offering from the Cornell Pump Company with a 60-plus year operating history.
After graduating from the Urban Future Lab, Rentricity has assessed over 100 water applications in drinking water, irrigation and other industrial process water operations. The Company has installed over 26 Flow-to-Wire systems generating over 1.3MW of clean energy per year. Rentricity has applied its Flow-to-Wire system to every possible flow controlled or pressure management operation found in solid pipe water infrastructure. In addition, Rentricity has created pre-fabricated energy Recovery vault designs for new infrastructure projects making above and below ground vaults “energy recovery ready.”
The Sole-Source Rentricity NSF-Edge: Certified Flow-to-Wire Pump-as-Turbine Systems
Rentricity and the Cornell Pump Company (Cornell) have worked together since 2012 to provide the highest level of safety certification for its hydro-turbine product line (link to press release). This exclusive partnership established Rentricity as the global sole-source provider of NSF 61/372 Pump-as-Turbines (PAT) for In-Conduit Hydropower application manufactured in the United States by the Cornell Pump Company.
The National Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) prohibits the use of any in-pipe device that is not lead free (less than 8 percent lead). Congress amended the SDWA in 1996 requiring that water-facing components meet lead-leaching performance standards of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). NSF/ANSI Standard 61 has since been adopted by 49 states and Canada.
The Water Quality Association certification and recognition marks an important milestone for Rentricity and Cornell , both committed to assuring safety and quality for Owner/Client who apply our clean energy recovery in-conduit hydropower solutions. The NSF/ANSI standard was awarded following stringent and extensive qualification of requirements for the control of potential human health effects from products that contact consumable drinking water, food & beverage and pharmaceutical applications.
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