Renewable Energy Solutions
Water Control Structures
Aging National Water Infrastructure
The majority of U.S.’s drinking water, wastewater management and dams/levees have exceeded their design lifetime representing a significant infrastructure challenge for the 21st century. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Society for Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) estimate the costs to repair and replace this infrastructure at over $800 billon (*).
* EPA, Clean watersheds needs survey 2012 – $271.0B
EPA, Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment – $384.2B
American Society of Civil Engineers (dams) – $57B
American Society of Civil Engineers (levees) – $100B
Water Control Canals
The efficient and economical use of water in irrigation is a major concern. While 40 percent of all food produced worldwide comes from irrigated land, the irrigation itself consumes 80 percent of the freshwater supply, representing a very inefficient use of the water. In some cases, an excessive amount of water is simply absorbed into the ground. In others, it runs off the land to be irrigated. Modern irrigation canals are built and managed according to ever more sophisticated models of water management and conservation.
Precast Sea Walls Solution
The coast is generally a high-energy, dynamic environment with spatial variations occurring over a wide range of temporal scales. The shoreline is part of the coastal interface which is exposed to a wide range of erosional processes arising from fluvial, aeolian and terrestrial sources, meaning that a combination of denudational processes will work against a seawall. Given the natural forces to which seawalls are constantly subjected, maintenance (and eventually replacement) is an ongoing requirement if they are to provide an effective long-term solution.
Navigation Systems
The technology of locks looks complex, but the principle is simple: The river is an inclined plane whose water moves in and out of locks by gravity. Water is drained from the first lock ,using gravity, until the water level is even with the second one. The downstream gate is opened to allow the vessel into the lower lock, and the process is repeated. The lifting and lowering of vessels, some weighing up to 60 tons, is done without a great use of energy.