As climate change had taken a critical toll on Melbourne's water reserves, it was necessary to find a way to achieve this as it strived to meet the city's demand for accessible, clean water and not endanger the current supply. Melbourne Water also set an aggressive target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2018, and was looking for new ways to meet this goal.
To help meet these goals, the water authority embarked on a new energy recovery initiative. The initiative would take advantage of the city's natural terrain and existing water supply system to create a renewable energy source. This would help reduce its energy costs while contributing to healthier air quality for Melbourne's residents.
Easing a complex installation
Melbourne Water manages a number of large reservoirs located high in the Yarra mountain ranges on the outskirts of the city. Water from these reservoirs is distributed by gravity to smaller service reservoirs, where the available hydraulic head is often significantly higher than the energy needed to transfer this water to households.
By replacing some of the pressure–reducing valves and energy dissipaters with energy recovery turbines at each service reservoir, Melbourne Water was able to harness this unused energy embodied in Melbourne Water's water supply infrastructure.