October 18, 2011
The City of Portland, the Portland Water Bureau, the Portland Development Commission, and Lucid Energy Inc., a provider of renewable energy systems which officially opened its headquarters in Portland on August 1, 2011, have agreed to partner on the development of an in-conduit hydropower system within the city. The proposed system will use Lucid Energy’s patented LucidPipe, a unique, in-pipe turbine developed in association with Northwest Pipe.
The partners plan to collaborate with the Portland Water Bureau to test Lucid Energy’s technology and identify innovative applications in such uses as eco-districts, car-charging stations and powering off-grid water agency tasks.
“This agreement with Lucid Energy is an opportunity for us to extend Portland’s position as a living laboratory for green innovation and advanced manufacturing,” Mayor Sam Adams said. “Commercializing new technologies in our marketplace will lead to more jobs, more investment, and more exports of locally-developed systems.”
The agreement also calls for collaboration on a first ever in-conduit hydropower symposium in Portland, with the prospect of drawing the participation of both local and international leaders in energy and water technology.
“Our LucidPipe technology has been in research and development since 2007, and we are excited to establish our new company and headquarters here in Portland as a base to bring our in-pipe hydropower systems to market,” said Gregg Semler, president and CEO of Lucid Energy Inc. “Portland has a very rich ecosystem of leaders dedicated to smart energy and water infrastructure and we are thrilled to have the City as a partner to support our mission of being a global leader in the race to deliver smart water and energy solutions around the world.”
