Expanding Low Cost, Low Head Hydropower
Engineering360 News Desk | January 17, 2017With the goal of doubling hydropower generation in the U.S. by 2030, the U.S. Department of Energy is investing in developing technologies that will reshape the concept of hydropower by lowering costs, improving performance, and preserving the environment.
The Free Jet hydroEngine is rated 50-1400 kW.A DOE Small Business Innovation Research award has enabled California-based Natel Energy to pursue development of its low impact hydroelectric power technology.
Their turbines produce electricity using a cascade of smaller dams with low head drops, as opposed to one big dam. The low head installations restore wetlands and slow the rate of water runoff, which is y important for mitigating floods.
The turbines do not require high pressure, which means the head can be much smaller, and operate at constant water pressure which eliminates cavitation problems. Civil construction costs are much lower than for big dams, as these turbines can be installed in numerous small structures which take advantage of natural river landscapes without disrupting the ecosystem (see video).
The Free-jet hydroEngine is rated to 50-1400 kW. Reduced excavation, shorter penstock, and simpler configuration of the hydroEngine allow 30% - 50% cost savings in civil works compared to conventional Kaplan turbines, the company says. Generation output and durability have been verified through hydraulic scale testing and a component fatigue testing program.
Everybody seems to be getting on the hydrokinetic band wagon these days.
It's $/life cycle watt, and you can only get so much by tweaking the physics.
The mother lode of hydrokinetics lies off the east coast of southern Florida, at least a dozen Amazon River's worth. This (the Gulf Stream) is where the DOE Office of Science needs to put its money.
As much as I'd prefer to be in Florida its low head resources are dwarfed by Maine's thousands of miles of coast line, including tidal rivers and islands; sites that have been developed some for centuries, and 11 foot tides. If you need a test site we have plenty, and a few FERC permits available as well.