Rentricity, in partnership with Aquarion Water Company, conducted a joint pilot demonstration program from 2004 to 2006 to determine the energy recovery potential of various sites in the Southwestern Connecticut region. Rentricity identified over six addressable sites totaling approximately 500kW of clean energy recovery potential and jointly selected a vault located at Newfield Avenue in Stamford, Connecticut for the pilot demonstration site. In conjunction with the project, the State of Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) granted Rentricity Class 1 renewable status on February 19, 2004, allowing the Company to sell electricity generated from its projects within the entire ISO New England service territory at a premium above the market rates.
Rentricity’s pilot site is located at a vault on Newfield Avenue in Stamford, CT. The Company installed a 40 kW Flow-to-Wire turbine generator on a new 10 inch class 53 cement lined ductile iron pipe on the upstream side of the existing pressure reducing valve (PRV). Monitoring devices were also installed on the pipe downstream of the micro-turbine generator unit to continuously measure water pressure and flow. The unit is also equipped with a protective device that can be used to automatically isolate and shutdown the unit in emergency situations.