Past Projects
Water Management
Energy Development
Export Agriculture and Technology Transfer
Water Management
- Sula Valley Water Management Project: Honduras
- CWT researched conditions in Honduras' Sula Valley to create a comprehensive plan for water management in an area historically prone to severe flooding. In addition to loss of human life, the region's periodic floods caused considerable damage to infrastructure and the regional economy. In 1996, floods affected 13,447 families and damaged 8,000 cultivated hectares of land. Proper water management presented the possibility of land recuperation and protection of life and property. In addition to these benefits, dams were also designed for two sites, Los Llanitos and El Tablon, to generate hydroelectric energy. By combining flood protection, land reclamation for agriculture, and energy development, the plan addressed the safety and economic needs of multiple users of the valley.
- Avian Waterways: Wisconsin
- Avian Waterways is a proposed regional water management project in Germantown, Wisconsin. The project is designed to direct water flow into a large basin, simplifying water management infrastructure for the surrounding area. The Avian Waterways design also focuses on incorporating the new wetland into preexisting woodland, providing a nature area attractive both to residents of nearby property and to birds and other local wildlife.
- Dead-Red Water Management Project: Middle East
Energy Development
Los Llanitos Hydroelectric Power Project: Honduras
The $300 million Los LLanitos Hydroelectric Power Project was a large-scale water energy development project planned for the Ulua River upstream of Honduras' Sula Valley, a key region in the economy producing ~60% of the national GDP. The plant was specified for a capacity between 94 and 135 MW. CWT's research indicated an optimal design of a roller compacted concrete design at 145 m height and 870 m width. In addition to engineering research, CWT was also critical in financial research for the feasibility and pre-feasibility stages. The Los Llanitos project became a priority project for the Honduran Government (Article 1, Numeral 8 of Resolution No. 179-96). As part of the Sula Valley Water Management Plan, the dam was designed to provide economic benefits through effective flood control and energy development while maintaining a low environmental profile.
El Tablon Hydroelectric Power Project: Honduras
The $100 million El Tablon Hydroelectric Power Project was a large-scale water energy development project planned for the Chamelecon River upstream of Honduras' Sula Valley, a key region in the economy producing ~60% of the national GDP. The plant was specified for a capacity between 34.07 MW. CWT's research indicated an optimal design of a roller compacted concrete design at 54 m height and 264 m width. In addition to engineering research, CWT was also critical in financial research for the feasibility and pre-feasibility stages. The El Tablon project became a priority project for the Honduran Government (Article 1, Numeral 8 of Resolution No. 179-96). As part of the Sula Valley Water Management Plan, El Tablon was designed to bring economic developments to improve the regional economy of the Sula Valley in a manner sensitive to the needs of Valley users and the local environment.
Municipal & Development Finance Project: Tegucigalpa, Honduras
"Energy Tower" Collaboration: Israel
The Energy Tower is a potentially revolutionary device that makes use of the properties of a hot, dry desert climate to create electricity and desalinate water. The tower uses water to cool air at the top of the tower. This dense, moist air then moves throught the tower at high speeds, creating an air current that can be used to run turbines, creating electricity and drawing water up to the top of the tower to continue the cycle. At the bottom of the tower, water, now desalinated is condensed from the airsteam. The tower, which represents both an environmentally friendly energy source as well as a desalination technology several times more efficient than current osmotic methods, has great potential in Israel and other areas faced with the challenging water and energy needs of desert regions.
Export Agriculture and Technology Transfer
Horticulture Export Development: Haiti and the Dominican Republic
CW Technologies conducted research on export agricultural development in the Caribbean to reduce the US processor's risks caused by single sourcing products from Mexico. CWT facilitated the collaboration of University of Wisconsin scientists, US processors, and vegetable growers in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The collaborators determined profitable strategies for export production of processing cucumbers to the refrigerated fresh-pack market. CWT arranged complex technology transfers to support large-scale cucumber production as well as systems to control quality during thousands of miles of transport and create high-paying jobs for local growers.
Honey Production, Processing and Export: Guatemala, Wisconsin and Saudi Arabia
Irrigation Technology Transfer: Israel, Japan and the Caribbean
LeafSen Irrigation Systems Ltd.
LeafSen Irrigation Systems produces a unique device for irrigation, designed to sense precisely when a plant is short on water. By transferring extremely fine changes in leaf thickness into electronic output, LeafSen's sensors can be used as ultrafine controls for irrigation system. The LeafSen technology is especially effective when applied to fruit and vegetable crops, which are particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in water level. Precision water management by the LeafSen system ensures that crops are never too dry or too wet and results in improved yield and reduced water consumption.
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