The East Bay Municipal Utility District is installing a device designed to generate electricity by using the movement of water through its drinking water delivery system.

The installation of the “in-conduit hydroelectricity” system will generate 130,000 kilowatt hours of emissions-free power per year, according to EBMUD officials.

A typical home uses about 11,000 kilowatt hours per year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

An introduction to the InPipe Energy system, which is currently being used in Hillsboro, Oregon. (InPipe Energy/YouTube)

The new system is designed by InPipe Energy, a California-based clean energy company.

“EBMUD is always looking for innovative opportunities to meet our goal to become a carbon-neutral enterprise and contribute to fighting climate change,” said EBMUD Board Member Marguerite Young.

The InPipe system is part of a pilot program that will be evaluated at some point to see if it should be continued or expanded.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.